The Doppelganger Diaries
by a-and-afan413
Summary: What if Elena wasn't the end of the Petrova doppelganger line? What happens when fate steps in so that she becomes pregnant with Matt's baby just before her parents died. This is a retelling of The Vampire Diaries with a pregnant Elena. Elena just has one more thing in common with Katherine. Some Stelena in the beginning but eventually slow-burning Delena.
1. 16 weeks, 2 days

**I got this idea from a few other pregnancy story ideas. Basically, the Petrova doppelganger line ends with Elena because she didn't have a baby before she turned. What if the universe knew that she would be turning, so the last time she has sex with Matt, she gets pregnant, to continue the line. This story is definitely a challenge.**

 **I'm trying to stay as true to character as possible, but may stray a little bit if I need to for the story to make sense. The first few chapters will probably be super similar to the first few episodes. I've done lots of research for this stories and have taken lots of scenes directly from the episodes and from the transcripts of the show. All of this belongs to the writers of The Vampire Diaries. I've chosen to tell the story this way because I want it to be as close to the original plot line as possible, and as realistic and true to the story as possible.**

 **This is also going to be a challenge because I'll have to develop Matt's relationship with Elena and his role as a father, while exploring her relationship with Stefan, even though I'm a hardcore Delena shipper. The way that I'm working the story now, it's going to be a very slow burning Delena story. Not necessarily 4 seasons slow burning, but still very slow.**

* * *

 _Dear Diary, today will be hell. How could it be any different? Everyone will ask how I am, and everyone will give those judging looks. Their sympathy will be split. They won't know whether they should feel sorry for me because my parents died or because I'm pregnant. But when they look at me with their sad eyes, I will smile. My smile will say "I'm fine, thank you," "Yes, much better," "I love being pregnant at seventeen. Getting knocked up was the best decision I've ever made." And it will be believable. This year I have to start fresh, show them that I'm alive and well. And if I can convince them, then maybe, just maybe, I can believe it myself._

In the kitchen, Aunt Jenna is studying the contents of the refrigerator. They haven't really changed since she last checked, three minutes ago.

"Toast. I can make toast," she says, glancing over her shoulder at Elena, who just walked in.

"It's all about the coffee, Aunt Jenna," Elena replies, her voice disinterested.

"Is there real coffee? Or is it just that decaf crap?" Elena's brother Jeremy asks as he enters the kitchen.

"Just the crap. If I didn't remove it from the house she would drink it and it's not good for the baby," Jenna's reply causes both kids to roll their eyes. Neither of them are on board with the 'coffee isn't good for baby' idea. Mostly just because it meant less caffeine for them and it's hard to deal with pity looks when you're low on caffeine. "Lunch money?" she asks, extending a ten dollar bill towards the two of them. Jeremy snatches it up quickly. Elena opts to make her own lunch. On occasion, gross looking food will still strike up nausea. Gross-looking is about the only kind of food that Mystic Falls High School cafeteria serves. "Anything else? A No. 2 pencil? What am I missing?"

"Don't you have a big presentation today?" Elena asks, slightly confused. Jenna has been preparing for this for two weeks but now she seems more concerned with sending them off to school than getting herself there.

"I'm meeting with my thesis advisor at-" she glances down at her wrist, pulling up her sweatshirt sleeve to reveal her watch, "-now. Crap."

"Then go. We'll be fine," Elena says. It doesn't look convincing, so Jenna sends her back a sad, understanding smile. Jenna and Elena are in very similar boats, after all. They both lost family and then found themselves having to raise children. They spent all summer bonding over it. They mourned together and worried over the future together. After Jenna ran quickly out of the kitchen, Elena turned to Jeremy. "You okay?" she asked, her voice dripping with genuine concern, which Jeremy either misinterpreted or was uninterested in.

"Don't start," he sighed as he sipped the decaf coffee and exited the kitchen.

A few minutes later, Bonnie's little blue Prius pulled up to the curb in front of the house. Bonnie lived about two blocks over so they arranged a carpool to class. Elena kind of loved it because she didn't like being alone since the accident. As they drove through the busiest part of the small town, Bonnie chattered away. Elena was grateful for Bonnie's current level of optimism.

"So Grams is telling me I'm psychic. Our ancestors are from Salem- witches and all that. I know, crazy. But she's going on and on about it and I'm like 'put this woman in a home already!' But then, I started thinking. I predicted Obama. And I predicted Heath Ledger, and I still think Florida will break off and turn into little resort islands. Elena! Back in the car!" Elena had drifted off to gaze out the car window at some point during Bonnie's monologue. She jumped at the sound of her name, giving her best friend her full attention.

"I did it again, didn't I?" she asked, referring to her inability to pull herself out of her thoughts. "I'm sorry, Bonnie. You were telling me that…"

"That I'm psychic now." Bonnie nods, laughing at herself.

"Alright then, predict something. About me."

"I see…" Bonnie thinks for a second, but before she has time to answer, something black hits the car windshield, causing her to spin out of control for a moment before slamming on the brakes. No one was injured, but Elena is taking deep breaths, nearly gasping for air. She's almost frozen in shock and her hand instinctively flies to her belly where the smallest of bumps was hidden under a flowy tank top and leather jacket.

"Oh my God! What was that? Elena, are you okay?" Bonnie's face is about 80 shades of concerned.

"It's okay. I'm fine," she replies, her voice laced with shock.

"It was like a bird or something. It came out of nowhere,"

"Really, I- I can't be freaked out by cars for the rest of my life," Elena stuttered before regaining her composure. Nothing happened. They skidded to a quick stop, but both she and the baby were fine. Nothing to worry about. Elena shakes it off, determined not to let it ruin her day. Bonnie appreciates this gesture and straightens up.

"I predict this year is going to be kick ass. I predict all the sad and dark times are over, and you are going to be beyond happy. Your baby is a little miracle, and she's going to bring you more joy than you can imagine." The two girls smiled at each other, both hoping the prediction would prove true.

"She?" Elena asks.

"Oh yeah. It's definitely a girl," Bonnie replies instantly as she pulls the car back onto the road to continue their drive to school.

* * *

Elena followed Bonnie to her locker. It was the same one she'd had for the past two years. Normally that didn't happen, but when she got lucky with prime locker real estate freshman year she made sure to lock it down for the rest of her high school career. They chatted as Bonnie opened her locker, but she spotted something over Elena's shoulder that made her pale. Elena quickly turned around and saw her ex-boyfriend and baby daddy walking their way.

Matt Donovan is a good guy. Really, he is. He's the nice, boy-next-door type who plays football and holds doors open for girls. He also believes that since Elena is pregnant, the two of them should get married; which is super awkward considering Elena dumped him six weeks before she found out. Matt's trying to do the right thing, but being in a passion-less teenage marriage isn't Elena's idea of the right thing for their baby.

"Hey. How are you feeling today?" He asks, trying to remove Elena's school bag from her shoulder.

"It's okay, Matt. I've got it," she stops him, holding the bag firmly. In his efforts to get her back he's begun to make her feel more and more uncomfortable. He gazes at her stomach, her flowing tank top hiding any trace of a baby underneath. At sixteen weeks pregnant, her bump was much smaller than many others at the same stage of pregnancy. Her doctor assured her that it was nothing to worry about and that it was probably due to the stress of her parents' death; which was the reason she didn't even think to take a pregnancy test until she was already nine weeks pregnant.

Matt gave her an irritated look, fed up with her constantly shooting him down, and disappeared down the hall.

"He hates me," Elena sighed, turning back to Bonnie.

"That's not hate. That's 'you dumped me, but I'm too cool to show it, but I'm secretly up late at night reading parenting books,'" Bonnie replied, sympathy covering her features.

"I know. I just can't bring myself to get back together with him just because I'm pregnant. I don't think that's the right thing to do. All three of us deserve better than that," she sighed again. Her optimism for the day was slowly dwindling.

"Elena, oh my God! How are you?" Caroline Forbes threw her arms around Elena's neck, enveloping her in a hug. Elena hadn't seen Caroline much since Aunt Jenna became her legal guardian. After her parents had died, she and Jeremy had stayed with Caroline and her mother, the sheriff, for about a month. "Oh it's _so_ good to see you. How is she? Is she good?" she asked, turning to Bonnie, expecting that Elena wouldn't give her a truthful account.

"Caroline, I'm right here," Elena replied, pulling the blonde's attention back on her. "And I'm fine. Thank you."

"Really?" Caroline asked, sounding doubtful at best. She glanced down towards Elena's stomach, earning a small eye roll.

"Yes. Much better." Caroline pulled her into another hug, this time making sure not to squeeze her too tight around her middle.

"Oh you poor thing," she mumbled into Elena's hair.

"Okay, Caroline," Elena patted her back, waiting for the hug to be over. She wasn't a big fan of being forced into hugs.

"Okay, see you guys later?" Caroline eyed each of them as she pulled her self away from Elena. After they both gave her a nod, she left for first period.

Once she was out of ear shot, Elena turned to Bonnie with a fake smile and said "No comment. I'm not gonna say anything." Caroline was demanding, controlling, and at times insensitive, but she and Elena had been friends since birth. She was there, pee stick in hand, when it was time to find out if Elena's period was late because her parents' accident had stressed her out or because she and Matt had an accident of their own. Of course, looking back, that wasn't the best idea. She had Caroline to thank for the news being spread around like wildfire. If she'd had it her way, the whole town would still have no idea.

On the way to her first class, Elena and Bonnie stop to stare at the new kid's back as he speaks with a school administrator. As they wait for him to turn around so that they can catch a glimpse at his face, Elena sees Jeremy enter the restroom and she follows after him. She walks in to find him blinking in some eye drops. She grabs his chin and looks into his reefer red eyes. He reeks of pot. "Great. It's the first day of school and you're stoned."

"No I'm not," he scoffs.

"Where is it? Is it on you?" She accuses, reaching into the pockets of his hoodie. Jeremy grabs at her hands to stop her.

"Stop, alright! You need to chill yourself."

"Chill myself? What is that, stoner talk? Dude, you are so cool," she replies, sarcastically, as she continues trying to search him for his stash.

"Stop! I don't have anything on me. Are you crazy?" Jeremy insists.

"You haven't seen crazy, Jeremy. I gave you a summer pass, but I am done watching you destroy yourself," Jeremy lunges up, trying to break past her, but she stops him with a hand on his chest. "No, no, no. You know what? Go ahead. Keep it up. But just know that I am going to be there to ruin your buzz every time. Got it?" He glares at her, trying to seem unaffected. It doesn't work with the glare. Both of their faces soften slightly as a guy exits one of the stalls and leaves the bathroom. They almost forgot they were in the men's room. "Jeremy, I know who you are. And it's not this person. So don't be this person." Her eyes stared into is, almost begging him to go back to being her sweet little brother. He'd become obnoxious over the last two years or so, but it was amplified by the death of their parents; especially with all of the attention on Elena because she's pregnant.

"I don't need this. Just because you're that thing's mom now, it doesn't make you mine." She's so shocked by this outburst that she lets him walk past her and exit the bathroom. She can feel the sting of tears behind her eyes. She blinks them back, and her eyes are wet, but she knows the tears won't fall. Crying won't help with her 'I'm fine. Thank you' image that she's going for today. After taking a second to breathe, she exits the restroom.

She barely makes it out the door before her shoulder hits something solid. It was a guy- the new guy. And she can't believe how beautiful he is. He's gloriously, amazingly, epic-ly beautiful. His look is classic and timeless. He looks like there should be an oil painting of him selling for millions of dollars somewhere, not like he should be walking into the Mystic Falls High School restroom. His jaw looks like it could be insured. She suddenly feels sorry for the people who will go their whole lives without ever seeing his face. "Uh, pardon me," he says, and she slowly realizes she's been staring. "Um, is this the… men's room?" he asks, glancing at the sign on the door, and then back at her. Elena's jaw drops in embarrassment.

"Yes. I, I was just um… I was just… it's a long story," she sighed, trying to stop the blush creeping along her cheeks. The new guy gave her a small smile and went to step around her the same time she went to step around him, effectively blocking each other's paths. They stepped again. The guy gave her a smile before stepping against the wall, extending his hand in an 'after you' kind of motion. Elena thought about that awkward encounter the whole way to her first class; History with Coach Tanner. She was surprised to see the new guy walk in minutes later. He must be a junior too.

Coach Tanner jumped straight into the lecture and Elena could feel Matt's gaze on the back of her head as she struggled to pay attention and take notes on the Civil War. She glanced over her shoulder and caught the new guy looking at her. She could feel her phone vibrate in her bag against her leg and she opened the text message from Bonnie.

 **Hawt-e. Staring u.**

Bonnie's old flip phone made spelling out actual words a tedious and obnoxious chore, so she stuck to text speak. Elena kind of hated it, but this text made her smile to herself. Maybe today wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

At the end of the school day, Elena made her way back to each of her teachers to make sure they knew about her situation. Of course, they'd all heard the rumors. She informed them of her Valentine's due date and made plans with each of them for finishing out her junior year on time so that she could be on a path to graduating with all of her friends. Some teachers were understanding and showed sympathy for her situation and promised to help her keep her schooling in check. Others, like Coach Tanner, informed her that she would still be held accountable for keeping up with classwork on her own.

After she left the school, Elena headed straight to the cemetery.

 _Dear Diary, I made it through the day. I must've said "I'm fine, thanks" at least 37 times, and I didn't mean it once. But no one noticed. When someone asks "How are you?" they really don't want an answer._

Elena looks up from her diary to see a crow perched on top of her parents' tombstone. "Okay. Hi, bird." She called out to it as it crowed. The bird is still; it's watching her. Almost as if it knows her. "Not creepy or anything," she mutters, continuing her writing. Fog starts to wind its way around the cemetery, which is weird because it's a beautiful, warm day. She slams down her diary and shoos the crow from the tombstone. "That's what I thought," she says as it flies away. She jumps when she turns back around and sees it sitting on the tombstone she'd been leaning against. She grabs her school bag in a hurry and backs away from the ominous bird.

Through the fog, she sees the outline of a man standing behind a large stone angel. She runs into the woods behind the cemetery, everything about the scene giving her the creeps. As she nears the bottom of the hill, she trips, landing on her leg. When she stands up she runs into the new guy again. From Caroline, she learned that his name is Stefan and he lived in Mystic Falls when he was younger.

"You okay?" he asks, looking at her with genuine concern. She's relieved to hear that question coming from someone who doesn't even know about her parents. She's still on edge, though. She nods to him.

"Were you following me?" she asks.

"No, I just saw you fall," he insists.

"Uh huh, and you just happened to be hanging out in a cemetery," she sighs, still shaken up by the crow, the fog, and the man.

"I'm visiting. I have, uh, family here," he replies. Elena's eyes go wide as she realizes how rude she was.

"Oh. Wow. Tactless. I'm sorry. I'm not thinking clearly, it's the fog, made me foggy and there was this bird and it was all very Hitchcock there for a second - it was Hitchcock, the bird movie, right? Hitchcock…" she trailed off noticing his slight smile. She was definitely rambling. "I'm Elena."

"I'm Stefan."

"I know. We have history together," she smiled.

"And English and French," he added. So he definitely remembered her. She couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not.

"Right," she nodded and he picked a leaf from her leather jacket. "Thanks." He smiled to her and they had a sort of moment. Elena wasn't sure whether it was an awkward moment or a _moment_ moment, but she took the time to look him over. The hand that had pulled the leaf from her jacket was adorned with a large silver ring with a big blue stone. "Nice ring," she said dryly. It was ostentatious to say the least.

"Oh, uh, it's a family ring. Kind of stuck with it. Weird, huh?" he replied, as if he wanted her not to notice the ring.

"No, it's just, I mean, there are rings and then there's that," she laughed as he twisted it around his finger. Stefan smiled at her before furrowing his eyebrows and looking at her leg.

"Did you hurt yourself?" he asked.

"Hm? Oh uh, I don't know," Elena replied, walking to a nearby tree stump to inspect her leg. When she pulled up her jeans she saw her bloody shin. "Oh, wow. Would ya look at that. That is not pretty," she sighed, noticing that Stefan turned away at the sight of the blood. So maybe he's a squeamish guy? He definitely didn't look it, though. "You okay?" She looked up and Stefan was nowhere to be found. She caught herself wondering if he would be able to handle having a kid around. She quickly scolded herself for even thinking of it. No one wants to date a pregnant seventeen-year-old. No one their age wants to play step-daddy. He didn't even know she's pregnant.

* * *

After the fiasco at the cemetery, Elena went straight home. She had Jenna fill out a few slips to hand back to her teachers, and she cleaned and bandaged the cut on her leg.

"Maybe blood makes him squeamish?" Jenna asked.

"This guy is not the squeamish type. This guy has 'danger' tattooed somewhere on his body," Elena replied dryly. Jenna laughed and checked her watch.

"Aren't you meeting Bonnie?" she asked.

"I'm gonna stay in. I'll call her."

"You should go. Don't sit home. Keep it up. You're doing good," Jenna replied. Elena appreciates it and decides she'll go to The Grill after all.

She traded out her school outfit for a black spaghetti strap shirt that flowed around her belly. She wore high- waisted jeans underneath to cover up her mid-section which really just looked more like she was a little bloated. While she changed her clothes she noticed that her boobs were nearly spilling out of her bra. She'd have to go shopping for new ones soon. Pants too, she decided, as she felt a little squeezed into the size twos.

"Alright, I'm leaving" she told Jenna as she headed for the front door, carrying a light jacket.

"Okay, have fun. Wait!" Jenna stopped her. "I got this. Don't stay out late. It's a school night." The way she delivered the line, it almost sounded rehearsed. Elena couldn't help the giggle that followed.

"Well done, Aunt Jenna," she praised, shaking her head as she opened the front door. She was surprised to see Stefan standing there and she let out a startled "Oh."

"Sorry, I was just about to knock. I wanted to apologize for my disappearing act earlier. I know it was… strange."

"No worries. I get it; blood makes you squeamish."

"Something like that," he responded with a small laugh. "How's your leg?"

"Oh, it's fine. Just a scratch, barely. How did you know where I lived?" she finally thought to ask. It was a little weird, running into him for the third time that day.

"It's a small town. I asked the first person I saw," she nodded, but didn't quite believe that. She couldn't help but feel that he had gone searching for her specifically. The thought made her smile. "Um, I thought you might want this back," he said, pulling out her green, leather diary and handing it to her.

"Oh, I must've dropped it. Thank you."

"Don't worry. I didn't read it," he said. From the look on his face, she could tell he was being sincere.

"No? Why not? Most people would've," she laughed. If he had read it, he would know she was pregnant. She got the distinct vibe that he didn't know.

"Well I wouldn't want anyone to read mine."

"You keep a journal?"

"Yeah. If I don't write it down I forget it. Memories are too important." They stared into each other's' eyes for a beat. She was totally entranced by him; this gorgeous stranger who kept a journal. Suddenly, something in the air between them shifted. His eyebrows furrowed and he looked confused. He glanced down at her belly, where her baby sat, invisible. The wheels in his head were turning, and the lightbulb flipped on. She felt like he could see straight through her stomach. She wasn't sure how he knew. She hadn't done anything in that moment to reveal it to him, but she could tell that he was suddenly aware of her pregnancy. Elena pretended not to notice.

"I'm just gonna um… you don't have to stay out there," she trailed off, walking back inside and leaving the door open for him.

She put the journal in her school bag in the kitchen and heard him call out "I'm fine," from the doorway.

She walks back to the doorway, holding her purse. "I'm sorry, were you going somewhere?" Stefan asks.

"Yeah, I'm meeting a friend," she pauses, trying to decide whether she should invite him or not. He hasn't called her out for being pregnant yet, so she decides it couldn't hurt. "Do you wanna come?" she asks, expecting him to turn her down. To her surprise, he takes her up on the offer.

"Yeah, sure. Where are you meeting?" he asks.

"The Mystic Grill. It's pretty much the only place in town, but it's not bad," she smiles. "Wanna ride with me?" she asks, pulling out the keys to her SUV. He nods and gets in the passenger's seat. On the drive there they make small talk. She avoids mentioning her parents and her baby. That's not exactly the kind of thing you should bring up the first time you meet someone.

* * *

When they get to The Grill, Elena sees Matt and stops cold. He's headed straight for her and Stefan, clearly upset.

"Hey, I'm Matt. Nice to meet you," he says firmly, extending his hand to Stefan.

"Hi. Stefan," he replies. The way he appraises Matt, Elena's sure that he knows they had a thing. If he was able to discover she was pregnant just from a look, it wouldn't be hard for him to decipher that Matt was the father.

Matt turned his gaze to Elena. "Hey," she said.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" he asked. She told him she was fine and he walked out, clearly upset with her for being with somebody else.

"So, you were born in Mystic Falls?" Caroline grilled him. She sat across from him with Bonnie to her left and Elena to her right.

"Mhmm, and I moved when I was still young," he replied, answering their questions with grace, almost as if he was expecting the interview.

"Parents?" Bonnie asked, and Elena couldn't help but feel bad that her friends were in his business.

"My parents passed away," the way he said it with such ease nearly knocked the breath out of Elena. The way he said it made her believe that the sun could shine again; that one day her life would go on. He glanced at her and Bonnie and Caroline looked between the two of them. Elena got the feeling that her having this connection to Stefan bothered Caroline.

"I'm sorry," she said staring into his eyes. Suddenly she understood everyone who asked her how she was feeling today. "Any siblings?" she asked, thinking of her own brother.

"None that I talk to," he said with a sense of finality. "I live with my uncle." She could tell that he was changing the subject.

"So Stefan, if you're new then you don't know about the party tomorrow," Caroline said, bringing all eyes back to her.

"It's a back to school thing at The Falls," Bonnie clarified.

"Are you going," he asks Elena.

Bonnie replies for her instantly. "Of course she is." Elena smiles first at Stefan and then at Bonnie.

"Yeah, I guess I'll be there."

* * *

 **AN: I'm doing some reformatting- Making some chapters longer by combining them. Let me know what you think of the longer chapters!**


	2. 16 weeks, 3 days

**Okay, so I didn't reach my review goal, but I'm posting this chapter right now anyway, because I'm so excited about this story. I'm cranking it out pretty quickly. I have all of episode 2 written. It took 2 chapters. Please let me know what you think!**

* * *

"Just admit it, Elena."

"Okay, so he's a little pretty," Elena conceded. The girls stood under the covered picnic area at The Falls, the party going on all around them. It wasn't a rager, but it was a good time. Bonnie was nursing a beer and Elena was holding a bottle of water. She was kind of nervous about being at the party. She didn't want to give anyone the idea that she was drinking and partying while pregnant so she decided to stick to the sidelines and chat.

"He has that romance novel stare. 'Stefan looked deep into her eyes, piercing her very soul,'" Bonnie joked as if she were reading aloud from an actual romance novel. Elena giggled. "So, where is he?" Bonnie asked.

"I dunno," Elena shrugged. Maybe he'd thought about it more and decided he didn't want to show up to a high school party with the pregnant girl. She couldn't really blame him, but it made her sad. "You tell me. You're the psychic one."

"Right, I forgot," Bonnie laughed. "Okay, so give me a sec. Grams says I have to concentrate."

"Wait! You need a crystal ball," Elena said, picking up an empty beer bottle from the ground nearby. "Ta-da," she said, extending it to Bonnie. Bonnie reached for the bottle and her eyes widened in shock when she touched it. After a moment she jerked her hand away as if the bottle burned her.

"That was weird," she insisted. "When I touched you I saw a crow."

Elena immediately thought of the crow that had terrorized her in the cemetery. "What?" she asked, searching for clarification.

"A crow. There was fog. A man… I'm drunk. It's the drinking. There was nothing psychic about it. Yeah? Okay, I'm gonna get a refill," she rambled, backing away from Elena's questioning gaze. Elena followed Bonnie with her eyes, feeling puzzled by the outburst. When she turned back around she nearly jumped when she saw Stefan standing in front of her.

"Hi."

"Hi," she smiled at him.

"I- I did it again, didn't I?" he asked, noticing that he'd startled her. She nodded and he apologized. "You're upset about something," he said, noticing her expression.

"Oh, no, it's just Bonnie. She's… you know what? Never mind. You're- you're here," she could hardly believe that he decided to come after all.

"I'm here," he nodded, staring into her eyes. She beamed up at him. Elena decided that she could see herself really crushing on this guy, which was dangerous because she knew it couldn't go anywhere. She reminded herself again that seventeen-year-old boys don't want to play step-daddy.

"Do you wanna walk around?" she asks him, eager to get away from the kids smoking near the fire.

"Yeah, sure," he replies, following her. As they walk, they chat.

"You know, you're kind of the talk of the town," she tells him.

"Am I?"

"Mhmm," she smiles. "Mysterious new guy, oh yeah."

"Oh, well you have the mysterious thing going, too," he tells her. This almost surprises Elena. Everyone else in town seemed to think she was an open book. It was pretty cut and dry. Her parents were dead, and she was pregnant with the quarterback's baby. "Twinging sadness," he said, his eyes staring straight into her soul.

"What makes you think that I'm sad?" she asked, staring down at her hands that were playing with the hem of her shirt. She was still hiding behind a flowy top even though she knew it'd be painfully obvious soon. There was still that elephant. Although she knew that Stefan knew, she had yet to actually say it out loud to him.

"Well, we did meet in a graveyard," he said smiling, trying to ease her nerves.

"Right. Well technically we met in the men's room." Stefan let out a breathy laugh. "You don't wanna know. It's not exactly party chit chat," she insisted, trying to put off the whole conversation. She knew that once she started telling him, she wouldn't be able to stop.

"Well I've never really been very good at chit chat," he said as they walked across a bridge covered in fairy lights. It was all very beautiful. Elena didn't think it was the type of place you went to tell someone that your parents died that week after you got pregnant. But it was where they were, and he seemed genuinely interested.

"Last spring my parents' car drove off of a bridge into the lake and I was in the back seat and I survived but they didn't," she shrugged. She contemplated stopping there, but she knew she had to say it. "Matt was my boyfriend. I broke up with him after the funeral because I'd been planning to for a while. A little over a month later I found out that I was pregnant. That's my story," she said, looking down at her feet shyly. When she looked back up he was gazing deeply into her eyes.

"Thank you for telling me. You won't be sad forever, Elena." She gave a weak smile and nodded. He seemed very genuine.

They talked for a while. They spotted Bonnie, Caroline, and Matt in the distance. "Matt can't seem to take his eyes off of us," Stefan observed.

"Matt's that friend since childhood that you start dating because you owe it to yourselves to see if you can be more," Stefan nods.

"And?"

"And then my parents died. And everything changes. Anyway, Matt and I, together we just… I don't know. It wasn't um… It wasn't…" she struggled to find the words to explain the reason that she chose not to get back together with the father of her child.

"Passionate," Stefan supplied.

"No. No, it wasn't passionate," she agreed. "Matt believes that we can work through it. He's a really good guy, but he thinks that because I'm pregnant we need to get married. Even before he knew I was pregnant he thought we should get married straight out of high school. I never wanted that. I know it's selfish, but I don't want to have to settle. He thinks it would be the best thing for us and the baby, but I don't think that my kid should have to grow up with parents who are only together out of obligation. Nothing about this situation is perfect, but I'm doing the best that I can. And staying with Matt wouldn't be for the best. He just doesn't understand that." Elena looked into Stefan's eyes and saw that the circles under them had darkened. "Are you okay? Um, your eyes… It's just…"

He turned away and rubbed his eyes. "Oh, um no, it's- it's nothing. Are you thirsty? I'm gonna get us some waters." He walked away quickly, leaving Elena alone and confused on the bridge. Now that everything was out in the open, Elena definitely felt the sting of rejection. She waited a while and headed back towards the party to tell Bonnie what had happened. Before she got the chance, Matt made his way over to her.

"Looking for someone?" he asked.

"Hey…" she trailed off, still reeling from her conversation with Stefan.

"When you broke up with me, I figured you just needed some time on your own. I've been trying. But especially now that you're pregnant, I think that we need to make this thing work. Elena, I want you to know that I still believe in us. I want us to be a family. And I'm not giving up on that," he walked away before she got the chance to respond.

"Matt," she called out after him, but he didn't turn around. She slowly walked over to sit on a beam. She could see Stefan trying to escape a conversation with Caroline. When he finally got away he headed straight for her.

"I was wondering who abducted you," she joked. "Now I know." She was giving him an out so he didn't have to say that he ran away because she's pregnant and it freaked him out.

"Is she like that with all the guys?" he asked.

"No. You're fresh meat. She'll back off eventually," Elena said, doubting the words as she said them. Caroline would probably be licking these wounds until graduation. Looking around, Elena spotted an obviously drunk Jeremy heading into the woods. "God, you've gotta be kidding me," she called out, exasperated.

"What is it?" Stefan asked.

"My brother."

"The drunk one?"

"That would be the one. Excuse me," she replied hopping down from the beam to go follow her brother.

"Need some help?" Stefan offered.

"Trust me, you're not gonna wanna witness this. Jeremy!" She called out, disappearing into the woods. "Jeremy! Jeremy, where the hell are you going?" she asks, following him through the trees.

"I don't want to hear it," he replies. Suddenly he trips over something and he's face down on the ground. "Vicki? Oh my God, it's Vicki," he breathes out in a panic. Elena sees the girl, her baby's aunt, with her neck covered in blood.

"Oh my God"

"No," Jeremy reaches for her neck to search for a pulse when Vicki's eyes fly open and she takes a sharp and ragged breath. Jeremy scoops her up and together they run back to the party.

"Somebody help!" Elena screams, cradling Vicki's head, supporting her bloody neck. Matt runs over and yells for Bonnie to call an ambulance. "It's her neck! Something bit her! She's losing a lot of blood, it's bad!" Elena was in shock. She'd heard about the animal attacks that were getting closer and closer to town, but she never imagined that it could happen to someone she knew so well. In her panic she thought of the worst. What if Vicki died? What would happen to Matt if he lost his sister?

* * *

When the police and paramedics arrived, Elena quickly gave her account of what happened. There wasn't much to tell. She and Jeremy found her long after whatever did this to her had gone. From a distance she watched Matt get into the ambulance behind the stretcher. Bonnie came up behind her. "Hey, we're gonna go mainline coffee and wait for news." Elena nods.

"I gotta go take Jeremy home," she replies.

"Elena, there's no way I'm psychic. I know that. But whatever I saw, or I think I saw… I have this feeling…" she trailed off, looking gravely serious.

"Bonnie, what?"

"That it's just the beginning."

What is she talking about? Elena's truly worried. As Bonnie walks away, Elena spots Jeremy leaning against a beam with a beer in hand. She makes her way over to him. "Are you okay?" she asks. "I'll give you a ride home." He looks utterly disinterested. "Those people in uniforms- last time I checked, they're the police." Jeremy ignores her, chugging down the rest of his beer and throwing the empty bottle into the bushes.

"People are gonna stop giving you breaks, Jer. They just don't care anymore. They don't remember that our parents are dead, because they've got their own lives to deal with. The rest of the world has moved on. You should try too."

"You know, I've seen you in the cemetery, writing in your diary. Is that supposed to be you moving on?" he challenges. Elena shakes her head no. She knows that she's asking too much of him. She definitely hasn't moved on.

"Mom and Dad wouldn't have wanted this."

* * *

 _Dear Diary, I couldn't have been more wrong. I thought that I could smile and nod my way through it- pretend like it would all be okay. I thought that I could change into someone new. Someone without the past, without the pain. Someone alive. But it's not that easy. The bad things stay with you. They follow you. You can't escape them, as much as you want to. All you can do is be ready for the good, so when it comes you invite it in, because you need it. I need it._

Elena looks up from her window seat to see Stefan standing at the curb in front of her house. She puts down the diary and rushes to the front door. When she swings it open, Stefan is standing there.

"I know it's late, but uh, I needed to know that you were okay," he says. She thought she'd scared him off for good so she's incredibly surprised that he's checking upon her.

"You know, for months that's all that anyone's wondered about me. If I'll be okay."

"What do you tell them?" he asks.

"That I'll be fine," she shrugs.

"Do you ever mean it?" he asks, his eyes searching hers.

"Ask me tomorrow," she replies, sounding almost confident. "It's warmer in the house. We can talk. Would you like to come in?" Stefan almost looks relieved that she's invited him inside.

"Yes," he smiles as he follows her inside.

Elena makes some popcorn and they sit together on the couch. "So where all have you lived? You said you moved around a lot."

"Uh, let's see, I was in Atlanta for a while, long time in Chicago, spent a minute in Seattle, and just moved here from Raleigh," he replied.

"Wow. That's quite the list."

"Oh yeah. What about you? Have you lived here your whole life?" He asked.

"Yep. Right here in this house. My dad was like _The_ town doctor. Practically famous. That's kind of how it is here if you're a founding family. Well, you're one too, but you didn't grow up here so it's a little different. Everyone expects so much of us. Caroline and Tyler, Matt's best friend, are founding family members too. Tyler's dad is the mayor. Caroline's mom is the sheriff. We're expected to get good, respectable jobs and live here forever and raise our families. Even my dad kind of expected that from me. He adored Matt. He practically helped raise him. His dad is God knows where, and his mom is really flighty. He was always over here when we were younger. My dad wanted me to marry him. But my mom, she knew. She knew it wasn't what I wanted. I wonder all the time what they would say if they knew I was pregnant. I'll never know, so I try to assume the best. I like to think that they'd be proud of how I'm handling it."

"I'm sure they would be," Stefan replied with a soft smile. "How long have you been pregnant, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Sixteen weeks. I got pregnant a week before the accident. It was after Tori Wilson's pool party. I know the exact date because it barely takes two hands to count the number of times I've had sex. Oh well. It only takes one time. I refused to take the test for the longest time. I was trying to convince myself that it was just the stress of the accident. Deep down, I knew what it was. Aunt Jenna freaked. I don't blame her, I was nearly catatonic. She had just gotten full custody of us and I was telling her that I was bringing another kid into it. It took us another month to decide what to do. I've always wanted kids and I know that the second I see her I'll never be able to give her up, so I decided to keep it."

"Her?" he asked.

"Oh, I won't know for sure for a few weeks. It's just something Bonnie said. And apparently she's psychic now, so I'm just going with it," Elena said, laughing it off.

"How did Matt react when you told him?" he seemed genuinely interested, like he wanted to know everything there was to know about her and her situation. He didn't seem the least bit frightened by it.

"Also catatonic. I think that if we had actually been together at the time he might've been a little bit happy about it, but as it was, he was scared. He jumped straight into talking about marriage and where we would live. I bolted. I just took off running and didn't answer his calls for two days. Bonnie had to pull me out of hiding. This summer was a mess. Luckily it's all sort of starting to settle down now. Matt still wants to marry me, and people around town look at me like I'm a train wreck, but at least I'm not so numb anymore."

"That's good. That's really good," Stefan smiled. They continued talking for another hour until Jenna came downstairs and told her to go to bed because she had school the next morning. For the first time in a long time, Elena went to bed with a smile on her face.

* * *

 **I'd love to get some honest feedback and constructive criticism on my writing! Definitely let me know how I'm doing and if there's any part of this that bothers you!**


	3. 16 weeks, 4 days

**AN: I've updated the chapter titles to show how far along Elena is so that you don't have to do any math or any guessing. I've crossed-referenced it with a 2009 calendar and a timeline of the show's events**

* * *

 _Dear Diary, this morning is different. There's change. I can sense it, feel it. For once, I don't regret the day before it begins. I welcome the day, because I know I will see him again. For the first time in a long time, I feel good._

After finishing her diary entry, Elena got dressed for school. She decided that it was finally time to stop hiding. She dressed herself in a pair of jeans, and a tight, blue long-sleeved t-shirt. It didn't scream 'Look at me, I'm pregnant' but it made it just noticeable enough. A stranger might begin to suspect, and everyone who thought they knew would receive just enough confirmation. As she walked out of her bedroom, Jenna made it to the top of the stairs and stopped her.

"Ooh. Do I look adult?" she asked. She looked hot in her slightly fitted blue dress. "As in, respectfully parental?" Elena looked her up and down.

"Depends where you're going," she responded, eyebrows raised.

"Jeremy's parent-teacher conference. Hair up or down?" she asked, gathering her strawberry blonde hair at the top of her head.

"Sexy stewardess," Elena supplied. Jenna let it fall back down around her shoulders. "Boozy housewife."

"Up it is," she decided. "You're feisty today. And looking like a hot mama," she appraised the tight-fitting t-shirt, nodding her approval.

"I feel good," Elena smiled. "Which is rare, so I've decided to go with it. Fly free. Walk on the sunshine and all that stuff," she said, sarcastically. She looked into Jeremy's room, finding it empty. "Where is Jeremy?"

"He left early. Something about getting to wood shop to finish a bird house," Jenna said, zhuzh-ing her hair in the hall mirror. In the reflection she could see Elena's confusion. After a beat, she asked "There is no wood shop, is there?"

"No," Elena shook her head.

"Yeah…"

There were two options. Either Jeremy went to see Vicki or he went to self-medicate because he couldn't see Vicki. The girls rolled their eyes and continued getting ready for the day ahead of them.

* * *

In history class. Coach Tanner talked about the history of the comet that would be spotted above Mystic Falls on Thursday night. As he talked, Elena looked over to Stefan. She was still smiling after their long night of talking. They'd discussed everything. Her family, their favorite books, what they did in their spare time. They had started to really get to know each other. She was crushing on him hard, and he hardly seemed fazed by the fact that she was pregnant. She never expected a guy to handle it so well. Of course, she could be misinterpreting all the signs. Maybe he just wanted to be friends. That was much more likely.

"Are we bothering you? Mr. Salvatore," Coach Tanner's eyes rested firmly on Stefan for a beat, before his gaze shifted to Elena. He took in her appearance before addressing her. "Mama Gilbert." Elena felt herself turn the darkest shade of red imaginable. This man was the most insensitive dick she had ever had the misfortune to be around. Stefan's gaze was hard, fixed on the teacher. When she looked down at the floor and then behind her to check on Matt, she could see that he was equal parts angry and embarrassed. The whole class fell silent after that and Elena kept her eyes glued onto her notes. She couldn't believe that he was allowed to say that in front of the class.

When the bell rang, she sprung up from her seat and waited for Stefan outside the classroom door. They walked down the hall together. "I brought it," he said, fishing a book out of his school bag.

"Wuthering Heights by Ellis Bell. You know, I can't believe she didn't use her real name," Elena remarked, examining the book they'd talked about the night before.

"All the Bronte sisters used pseudonyms. It was the time. Female writers weren't very accepted then."

"Where did you get it?" she asked. She couldn't fathom how a seventeen-year-old boy had come across a first edition of Wuthering Heights.

"Uh… it was passed down," he supplied. "Through the family. I have lots of books. Go ahead. Keep it." He handed it to her, and she couldn't help but look shocked. This book had to be worth some serious cash.

"Oh no, I- but I would like to read it again… I promise I'll give it back," she smiled at him flirtatiously.

"Okay," he smiled back.

* * *

Later on in the day Elena caught up with Matt to check on Vicki and talk about scheduling an OB/GYN appointment.

"They're keeping her overnight to make sure there's no infection, but she should be able to come home tomorrow," he informed her.

"That's good. Were you able to get in touch with your mom?" she asked. Matt's mom went AWOL pretty soon after she found out Elena was pregnant. She was probably trying to escape the possibility of having to hand over any child support money. Elena wasn't interested in her money, or lack thereof. She just wanted Matt to have his mom in his life.

"Oh, no. You know how she is. She has a baby daddy for a son and a druggie daughter who's gonna have some medical bills. She's staying as far away from this mess as she can. She's with her boyfriend on a beach somewhere. We'll see how long it takes her to find come rushing back," he said sarcastically. His mom wouldn't come home unless she really had to. Even then she would take her sweet time about it. Their relationship had gotten even rockier after Elena found out she was pregnant. At this rate, her child wouldn't have any grandparents. The thought almost brought Elena to tears, but she blinked them back.

"Vicki's just lucky that she's okay," Elena said, changing the subject.

"I know. Now there's talk of some missing campers."

"Did she say what kind of animal it was that attacked her?"

"She said it was a vampire," Matt laughed. Elena scoffed.

"What?"

"Yeah, she wakes up last night, mutters 'vampire' and then passes out." He rolls his eyes. Elena could tell that his sister's drug use was weighing heavily on him. She knew how it felt. She was constantly worried about Jeremy lately.

"Okay, that's weird."

"I think she was drunk…" Matt said, trailing off. "So what's up with you and the new guy?" he asked, suddenly turning serious. It took Elena by surprise. She followed Matt's gaze to see Stefan sitting on a picnic table in the distance.

"Matt, the last thing I wanna do is hurt you. It's nothing serious. Besides, it's not like anyone really wants to date the pregnant girl," she cringes as Matt pulls a face. She knew that that was a really insensitive thing to say when he was trying so hard to get her back.

"You know, I'm… I'm actually gonna go back to the hospital. I wanna be there when Vicki wakes up, get the real story about last night," he shakes his head and walks away. Elena feels terrible. She turns back around to find Stefan, but he's disappeared.

* * *

After school, Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline sat outside The Grill alternating talking about the approaching comet and Elena's night with Stefan.

"So then what?" Caroline demanded.

"So then nothing," Elena shook her head.

"You and Stefan talked? All night? There was no sloppy first kiss or touchy feely of any kind?" Bonnie rolled her eyes and Elena scoffed.

"Oh please, Caroline," she was thoroughly exasperated. "We did not go there. He is so not interested in my baby mama drama. If he's smart, he will stay as far away from my hot mess as possible."

"Not even a handshake? I mean, pregnant or not, you're still super hot and we are your friends. Okay? You are supposed to share the smut." Caroline almost had a point there. She and Bonnie knew every gory detail of each of the six times Elena had slept with Matt.

"We just talked for hours," Elena insisted.

"If I were you I'd have jumped his bones already. It's easy. Girl likes boy. Boy likes girl. Sex."

"And that's literally exactly how I got here," Elena sighed, placing a hand on her belly. She wasn't entirely sure what Caroline's deal was, but she assumed it had something to do with Stefan turning her down at the party. The more Elena thought, the more she decided that in some ways, Caroline was right. She did need to find out how Stefan felt about her. After some deliberation, she stood up.

"Where are you going?" Bonnie asked.

"To see if it could actually be something. Caroline's right. Ish. If I sit here long enough I'll end up talking myself out of it."

* * *

Elena pulled up to the Salvatore boarding house and stared at it in awe. It was a sprawling mansion made of wood and brick and giant windows. It was huge and extravagant, like the Lockwood's mansion, but in an entirely different way. She approached the large front door and pulled a string hanging from a bell next to it. After a moment with no answer, she rapped and the door with the large knocker. It swung instantly open. She peeked her head through the cracked door. The house was even more opulent on the inside. They shouldn't just leave the door open like this. Anyone could come in and steal from them. The house was so huge they would probably never even notice.

"Stefan?" she called out. She walked down the foyer and noticed his book bag sitting on a bench. She took in the huge, ornate living room with its towering fireplace and antique red sofas. Everything in this house was classic and antique. She let out a huff. His house was insane. The front door creaked behind her and she whipped her head around, but no one was there. The door was all the way open now. She walked towards it and a large black crow flew over her head, squawking at her.

She whipped her head around to follow its movement and came face to face with a stunning stranger. She gasped in shock. He tilted his head and looked into her eyes with his piercing blue ones. He was beautiful, in a dangerous way.

"I'm sorry for barging in. The door was… open," she turned back towards the door, finding that it was closed. That was weird. The door had definitely been open. That's how the bird got in. Now that she thought about it, the crow had disappeared too.

"You must be Elena," the stranger said. "I'm Damon, Stefan's brother," the way he said it sounded like he expected that Stefan would've talked about him. There were several times that it could've come up in conversation, but he never mentioned it.

"Stefan didn't tell me he had a brother," she blinked.

"Well, Stefan's not one to brag," he looked her up and down, lingering on her stomach. She thought she saw a brief flash of concern and disbelief on his face, but as soon as she recognized the look it was gone. "Please, come. I'm sure Stefan will be along any second," he said, gesturing for her to follow him into the living room.

"Wow. This is your living room?" She asked in disbelief. If she could steer the topic of conversation from the get go, maybe she could avoid talking to this stranger about her pregnancy. She couldn't believe the genes that ran in this family. Both of the brothers were devastatingly gorgeous. It just wasn't fair.

"Living room. Parlor. Sotheby's auction. It's a little kitschy for my taste… I see why my brother's so smitten," he said, turning his gaze back to her. "It's about time. For a while there I never thought he'd get over the last one. Nearly destroyed him."

Elena stopped at that. "The last one?" She asked timidly.

"Yeah. Katherine. His girlfriend? Oh, you two haven't had the awkward exes conversation yet." The way Damon spoke, she felt that he was saying these things on purpose because he knew Stefan wouldn't like it. She definitely got the feeling that the brothers weren't on good terms.

"Nope," she said, shrugging awkwardly.

"Oops, well I'm sure it'll come up now. Or maybe he didn't tell you because he didn't want you to think he was on the rebound. We all know how those relationships end."

"You say it like every relationship is doomed to end," she said quizzically.

"I'm a fatalist," he smirked. That smirk could break hearts. This man was sexy. He stared into her eyes and called out "Hello, Stefan." Elena whipped her head around to find that Stefan was standing behind them. He glared hard at Damon.

"Elena. I didn't know you were coming over," his eyes never left his brother.

"I know I should've called, I just-"

"Oh, don't be silly," Damon cut her off. "You're welcome any time. Isn't she, Stefan?" Stefan continued to stare down his brother. He looked angry and threatening. There was no brotherly love in this relationship. Damon was doing his best to be charming, but Stefan wouldn't budge. "You know, I should bring out the family photo albums or some home movies. But… I have to warn you. He wasn't always such a looker." Elena smiled. She would pay money to see this gorgeous, chiseled man in braces with frosted blond spiked-up hair.

"Thank you for stopping by, Elena. Nice to see you," he glanced at her for the first time, but only briefly, before turning back to Damon. Okay, so he's definitely not interested.

"Yeah, I should probably go. It was nice to meet you, Damon." He dropped to her eye level.

"Great meeting you too, Elena, he picked up her hand and placed a gentle kiss to her knuckles before offering a soft smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. She found herself wondering if he ever truly smiled.

Elena walked up the two steps to get back into the foyer, but Stefan was blocking her, staring over her head at Damon. "Stefan?" she called out. He did nothing to indicate that he heard her. "Stefan?" she tried again. His gaze dropped to her eyes for a brief second as he moved so she could pass by. He went immediately back to glaring at Damon. She walked out the front door, not bothering to look back over her shoulder.

* * *

 **I'm like spoiling you guys by updating every five minutes, but I'm just excited to be a couple chapters ahead! Please review. I'm desperate for reviews. My heart longs for reviews. Also, I've decided on a way to rig this story and the events so that it will become a Delena story lonnnng before season 4.**

 **I** **f anyone has ideas on what Matt and Elena would name a baby girl, send them to me. Also, should the baby's last name be Gilbert or Donovan, and tell me why.**


	4. 16 weeks, 5 days

**Thanks so much for the reviews, everyone! Good new to all the Delena shippers like me, I've figured out a way to realistically turn this story into a slow-burn Delena story! Yay!**

* * *

"He's on the rebound and has _raging_ family issues," Elena said, pouring chocolate sauce over every square inch of her ice cream.

"Well, at least it's an ex-girlfriend. Wait until you date a guy with mommy issues or cheating issues. Or amphetamine issues," Jenna laughed.

"I am the mommy issues. And we're definitely not dating. You should've seen him today, Aunt Jenna." She laughed and was going to respond, but then Jeremy walked in, stoned, as usual. Elena was starting to lose hope in her brother. It was breaking her heart.

* * *

After school on Thursday, Elena and Bonnie handed out Night of the Comet pamphlets near the town square. The small town was going all out for the celestial event. There was face painting, hula hooping, a guy playing live music.

"He didn't call, huh?" Bonnie asked as she put a flyer in someone's hand.

"Or text. Then I realized that we never even exchanged that stuff. We never got to the texting part," he hadn't even thought to ask for her number. In Elena's mind that was just another sign pointing at 'I don't want to be involved with a baby mama.' "The timing's wrong, anyway. I'm not ready, Bonnie. Besides, even if I was, there's no way he's interested in this," she smoothed her hand over her belly. Today it actually looked defined, more like baby and less like bloat, although it was still small. "Oh well. At least I put myself out there."

"Is that what you're calling it?" Bonnie asked.

"What do you mean?"

"All I'm hearing is reasons why you can't. I've seen the way he looks at you. He's definitely interested. I'm not saying you guys have to be together forever and he should help you raise your baby or whatever. I just think that he's made you smile more in the last week than I've seen in months. Just think about it, Elena.

She knew Bonnie was right. She and Stefan had some kind of connection. She spent the rest of the day thinking about it, but still hadn't heard from him when she and Bonnie got back to the town square just after the sun set. They met up with Caroline and got their candles. Elena wasn't quite sure what the significance was there, but she went along with it. Matt sought her out and lit her candle with his, and she turned around to continue the chain. To her surprise, she found herself face to face with Stefan.

"Hi."

Hi," she said back, breathlessly, looking back over her shoulder to see Matt with that sad look on his face. She truly hated doing this to him. She walked away from Stefan, deciding to watch the comet on her own, but he followed her.

"You know, that comet, it's been travelling across space for thousands of years. All alone," he said, his voice making the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

"Yeah, Bonnie says it's a harbinger of evil," they both laughed dryly.

"I think it's just a ball of snow and ice trapped on a path that it can't escape," Elena suddenly felt like she understood the comet. She, too, was trapped on this path. She would be raising a baby alone. Well, as alone as you could get when the baby's father, who you just aren't in love with, was obsessively trying to marry you. "Once every 145 years it gets to come home." Elena found herself wishing that she could come home. Home was a place where her parents were still alive, a place where she just knew that, no matter what, she would be okay. She wasn't sure that home even existed anymore for her.

"I'm sorry about yesterday," it sounded sincere enough. "I wasn't myself." She shook her head, letting out a breath that almost sounded like a laugh.

"You seem to spend a lot of time apologizing," she observed.

"Well, I have a lot to apologize for," he finally stepped into her line of sight and gave her a soft, apologetic smile. "Yesterday wasn't about you."

"You didn't tell me that you had a brother," she accused. Sure, he never flat out said 'No, I don't have siblings,' but if he thought that he could get away with not telling her about him, then maybe that meant that he didn't see this thing with her going very far- not far enough to invite her to his house, anyway. That was a big red flag for her. Maybe they weren't meant to be more. Maybe that was okay.

"We're not close. It's uh, complicated."

"Always," she nodded. Everything was complicated. This whole situation was a mess. She'd only known Stefan for four days, but she found herself liking him, despite her better judgement. Just when he started to push her away and she thought she could come to her senses, here he was, coming back to her to apologize. Elena couldn't make sense of any of it. "He told me about your ex. Katherine." That was another thing that had been bothering her all day. He just got out of what was probably a very serious relationship, and here he was, talking to her this way- almost flirting with her. It hurt that he would rebound with a pregnant girl.

Stefan's eyebrows furrowed as if he hadn't been expecting that. It clearly took him by surprise to hear her mention Katherine. "What did he say?" he asked.

"That she broke your heart," he softened at that.

"That was a long time ago." The way he said it, it sounded as though years and years had passed. But he was only seventeen, so she knew it had to be more recent than he was letting on, and he was still very affected by it.

"When you lose someone, it stays with you. Always reminding you of how easy it is to get hurt," she said, very sure of herself. Stefan stepped in front of her, trying to make eye contact, but her eyes stayed fixed on the comet above.

"Elena," he said, when it was clear that she wasn't going to look at him on her own. At his gentle request she finally brought her big brown eyes to meet his.

"It's okay, Stefan. I get it. You have no idea how much I get it. Complicated brother? Check. Complicated ex? Oh my God, check. I'm pregnant and my life is too complicated and messed up to even contemplate dating? Double check. It's okay. We met and we talked and it was epic, but then the sun came up and reality set in. All I'm ever gonna be is this small town girl who had a baby in high school. I'm not sure I'm even ready for a relationship or anything at this point," they stared into each other's eyes for a long beat. He didn't respond and she wasn't sure what else to say so she let out a breathy "So…" and walked away. He let her leave. He made no move to stop her.

Elena didn't want to be alone after that encounter so she grabbed Bonnie by the hand and pulled her out of the way and cried on her shoulder for a while before heading into The Grill. Exactly what she didn't need was for Matt's sister to be missing, to find out her brother was dealing drugs, and that he had slept with Vicki. As if their situation wasn't already screwed up enough.

"Look, I'm sick of the tough love speech, Jer. It's clearly having no impact," she spat.

"Yeah, you and Jenna, between the two of you-"

"We can stop if you want," she cut him off. "Send you to a therapist where you'll be forced to deal with it. Or to rehab where you'll sit in group and tell some stranger how you let your life fall apart. Or you could talk to me."

"I vote for none of the above," he rolled his eyes and walked away.

* * *

When Elena got home and went upstairs she heard a rustling in Jeremy's room. She didn't expect him to be home so soon. "Jer?" she called out.

"Nope. It's me. The hypocrite patrol," she heard Jenna say. She was bent over, digging through Jeremy's desk drawers.

"What are you doing?" Elena asked.

"I have become my worst nightmare. The authority figure who has to violate a fifteen-year-old's privacy." Elena knew that had to hurt. Aunt Jenna had always been a little rebellious when she was younger. "Jackpot. I see the hiding places haven't gotten any more creative," she said, pulling a bong out of a boot.

"What brought this on?" Elena asked. The last straw for her had been finding out that Jeremy was dealing drugs, but she had yet to tell Jenna about that development.

"Your asshat of a history teacher shamed me good yesterday."

"You got 'Tannered,'" Elena said knowingly, flipping the bong around in her hand as she sat in Jeremy's papason chair. Jenna moved on to search through the dresser. "Been there."

"'Discover the impossible, Miss Sommers'" Jenna said in her best surfer dude voice, pulling a pipe out of a sock. "Got it, thanks. Like I didn't know I was screwing up."

"You're not screwing up, Aunt Jenna," Elena insisted, but she knew the feeling.

"Yes, I am. You know why? Because I'm not her. She made everything look so easy! You know, high school, marriage, having you," she took a long pause and they stared into each other's eyes. "I can't do it. I'm gonna say or do the wrong thing and he's gonna get worse, and it's gonna be my fault…. It's impossible."

Elena had never seen her aunt so upset. "This is just the fear talking. Believe me, I'm afraid too. I don't know how to do it without her either. We're all afraid of what will happen next… But together you and I can figure this thing out." The more she thought about, the more she thought that this could also apply to her pseudo relationship with Stefan. Maybe she hadn't given him enough credit. In reality, he'd been nothing but nice to her and had given no real indication that her pregnancy bothered him in any way. She may not be ready to define any relationship yet, but that didn't mean she had to avoid him. They could work towards building it up slowly. "I have to go do something… but are you gonna be okay?" she needed Aunt Jenna to know that together they'd figure it all out. She needed her. She smiled when she finally got a nod out of her.

* * *

Elena pulled up to the boarding house and rang the odd door bell. Stefan opened the door almost immediately and looked confused and surprised to see her.

"Hey," she spoke first.

His face softened as he invited her in.

"The comet's actually this way," she jerked her thumb behind her, backing away from the door. He followed her outside. "Sorry for barging in. Especially after earlier,"

"No, no. It's okay. I'm glad you're here. The way we left things… I didn't like it."

"See, the thing is, I got home tonight planning on doing what I always do- write in my diary- like I have been since my mom gave me one when I was ten. It's where I get everything out, everything that I'm feeling. It all goes in this little book that I hide on the second shelf behind this really hideous ceramic mermaid. But then I realized that I'd just be writing things that I should probably be telling you," she said.

"What would you write?" he asked. She thought about her response for a while.

"I would write… Dear Diary, Today I convinced myself that it's okay to give up. Don't take risks. Stick with the status quo. No drama; now is just not the time. But most of my reasons aren't reasons, they're excuses. All I'm doing is hiding from the truth, and the truth is I'm scared, Stefan. I'm scared that if I let myself be happy for even one moment that the world is gonna come crashing down, and I don't know if I can survive that," she felt overwhelmed by the emotion. Now that she'd gotten the words out the weight on her chest lightened.

"Do you wanna know what I would write?" he asked. She nodded eagerly.

"'I met a girl... We talked. It was epic. Then the sun came up and reality set in.' Well, this is reality. Right here." He gazed into her eyes and Elena found herself almost wishing that he would kiss her. As soon as she thought it, his lips were on hers, soft and tender. It was barely a graze, but she was happy. When he pulled away she was smiling. His hand stroked her cheek and for the first time in a while, she felt like she could figure this out.

* * *

 **I tried to keep them from building up too fast like they did on the show, but it was hard to work with because with them it wasn't so much a series of moments that lead them to start a relationship, it was just a rush of strong feelings so I had to filter through that to figure out where her head was and where it would be if she were pregnant. As always, PLEASE let me know what you think!**

 **Also, keep it up with baby girl names. Something you think Elena and Matt would go for. I'm considering having Sommer be her middle name, and still haven't decided if she will be a Donovan or a Gilbert. Tell me your thoughts!**


	5. 16 weeks, 6 days

**True Life: I'm addicted to writing this story.**

 **I'm not really getting as many reviews as I'd like, but I certainly appreciate each one of them. I'm having a lot of fun writing this story and it's really making me happy. Right now I'm finishing up chapter 10, so I'm way ahead of what I've posted. Eventually I'll slow down with the updates, but right now I'm just desperate for some feedback. I can't wait for you guys to see some of the newer stuff I've written!**

* * *

"I'm not saying 'don't date the guy,' I'm just saying 'take it slow,'" Bonnie insisted as they stepped out of her Prius.

"You are the one who said to go for it! Besides, I don't think we're actually dating. It was one tiny kiss. It's not like we slapped a label on it," Elena replied, pulling her school bag from the back seat.

"I'm just saying, take it slow," Bonnie said with a tone of warning.

"Why the about-face?"

"It's not an about-face. It's a 'you're going to have a child with Matt so maybe jumping headfirst into a new relationship isn't the best idea'" Elena knew that the advice was sound, but she couldn't help but wonder what made Bonnie so anti-Stefan, seemingly overnight.

"Seriously, what are you not saying?" she asked, wondering if Bonnie knew something about Stefan that she didn't.

"It's stupid!" she said, turning to walk away. Elena wouldn't let her off the hook that easy though.

"Bonnie? Spit it out."

"I accidentally touched Stefan and I got a really bad feeling," she shrugged as if it was nothing, but by the look on her face Elena could tell that she was shaken up.

"Is that it?" she asked. She felt that Bonnie was still keeping something from her.

"Yeah. It's just my stupid witchy mumbo-jumbo. It's not like it's a real thing, but still. It freaked me out. I'm just… concerned. Maybe we shouldn't have pushed you towards him so hard. I mean, what do we even really know about the guy? You're bringing a baby into the world, Elena. That's a huge thing. If this guy's gonna be in your life he has to be 100 percent the real deal," Elena stopped in her tracks. She hadn't even thought about it that way. If she was even going to consider dating someone while she had a child she definitely needed to know more about them than their favorite books and the fact that that they had a secret brother and a lot of family money.

"I love you. Always thinking ahead," Elena sighed, smiling at Bonnie.

"I know," she laughed.

'Speak of the devil' Elena thought when Stefan approached as they walked across campus en route to history class.

"Morning, Elena," he smiled. "Morning, Bonnie."

"Hey, uh, I gotta find Caroline. So I'll see you guys…" Bonnie trailed off as she walked away.

"Bonnie, wait!" Elena tried to reach for her, but she was already too far away.

"She doesn't like me very much," Stefan observed, looking a little upset about it.

"She's my best friend. She's just looking out for me. Maybe we should all get together soon and get to know each other better," suddenly she had the perfect remedy for Bonnie's sudden aversion to Stefan. "Here's what we're gonna do- are you free tonight?" she stopped walking and he turned to face her.

"Yes," he smiled.

"Perfect. Dinner. My house. Eight o'clock. You, me, and Bonnie. We'll all spend some quality time and she'll get to see that you're a great guy. Mission accomplished." Stefan smiled and nodded before quickly whipping around just in time to catch a football aimed straight at his head. Elena's eyes widened and her jaw dropped in disbelief. There was absolutely no way he could've seen that ball coming. She hadn't seen it coming and she was facing it. And his reflexes were unbelievable. He threw the ball back hard, nearly hitting Tyler Lockwood in the shoulder. Elena huffed out a laugh and the bell rang signaling that they needed to head to first period.

"That throw was insane," she said as they walked through the crowded hallway. "I didn't know you played football."

"I used to. It was a long time ago," he replied. She thought it was odd that he always referred to things as 'a long time ago.' They were only juniors in high school. A 'long time ago' they would've been maybe thirteen or nine or whatever he meant by that vague, nondescript amount of time he always used. What was he- some sort of elementary school football prodigy?

"So why don't you try out for the team?" she asked, brushing off the comment for the time being.

"Yeah… I don't think so," he said slowly.

"So you don't like football?" she was confused.

"No, I love football. I think it's a great sport. But, in this case, I don't think football likes me…" she gave him a look to show that she didn't understand and he continued. "You saw Tyler over there. And we both know how Matt feels."

"They don't know you. To them you're the mysterious loner guy who's only hanging around the pregnant girl. Wouldn't hurt to be a part of. Make some friends," she encouraged. She wondered how Stefan would act around his friends. She was fairly certain she was the only one he had in Mystic Falls.

"Says the girl who spends all of her alone time writing in a cemetery," he joked, referencing their second meeting.

"Hey! Come on! There's more to me than just gloomy graveyard girl. There's a whole other Elena that you have yet to meet. She was into everything. Very busy," talking about that side of herself made her smile. It was the side everyone saw before her parents died and her world started to crumble around her. She hoped that side could resurface.

"Well I look forward to meeting her. And when will that be?"

"Soon," she assured him. "She's working on it." And work on it, she would. It was well past time to stop letting life pass her by. Sure she's still grieving the death of her parents and she's carrying the child of a man she can't see a future with, but it doesn't mean she can't have a future. And she's determined to make it a happy one.

* * *

After school Elena decided to go sit in on cheer practice. She missed the squad and it was nice out so she thought she'd make good on letting Stefan see the old her. The girl who was into everything. Sure, she couldn't actually cheer anymore, but she could still stretch with the team and talk to Bonnie as long as she wasn't too distracting.

"Oh my God! You're here!" Bonnie yelled in delight when she walked up to the practice area. She'd changed into a pair of cheer shorts and a black tank top and had an off-the shoulder workout shirt on top so that her baby bump wasn't glaringly obvious and making everyone uncomfortable.

They hugged quickly before Elena replied. "Yup. I can't be 'sad girl' forever. I may not be able to stunt and tumble, but I can still cheer you guys on!" Elena smiled and watched as Bonnie struggled to hold back a Bring It On quote. She knew her best friend well. "Oh, and you're coming to dinner tonight."

"I am?" she smiled as they sat in saddle stretches next to each other.

"Mhmm. You, me, and Stefan. You have to give him a chance," she insisted with a tone of finality when she saw the look on Bonnie's face.

"Tonight's no good," she said sadly as she moved into a lunge. She quickly changed the topic. "Have you seen Caroline? I've texted her like a hundred times."

"Don't change the subject, Bonnie Bennet!" Elena scolded. "You're going to be there."

"Fine! I'll go," she didn't look too happy about it.

"Good," Elena smiled, sinking into her pike stretch. It felt wonderful on her sore back. Her boobs were growing at an alarming rated and her belly had begun to play catch up this week. In the last few days she'd noticed a definite change in her body. Her bump wasn't large and prominent, but it was defined enough now that she looked pregnant instead of like she may have just eaten way too much Taco Bell. It had all settled into the middle of her stomach and it was nearly rock hard. Jenna had touched it for the first time this morning and promptly promised to buy Elena tons of bottles of cocoa butter to prevent the stretch marks that would soon be coming.

A few minutes passed and they finished their stretching. Elena took a huge gulp from her water bottle. "Seriously, where is Caroline?" Bonnie asked. She was captain, so it was hard for the squad to start practice without her.

"I don't know," Elena shook her head. "It's not like her."

"I'll try her again," Bonnie said, picking up her new phone. As she dialed, Elena watched an old blue convertible pull up next to the practice space. As it got closer she recognized Caroline and Stefan's mysterious brother Damon.

"Uhh…" she pointed to the car.

"My God. That must be the mystery guy from The Grill," Bonnie said as they both watched Caroline lean over to the driver's side to kiss Damon.

"That's not a mystery guy. That's Damon Salvatore," she rolled her eyes. Now that she thought about it she could totally see Caroline going for him. He was dead gorgeous with beautiful blue eyes and endless charm. But at the same, he seemed almost cold, like he was the kind of person that went for the jugular in a fight. Caroline was the same way.

"Salvatore?! As in Stefan?" Bonnie asked as Caroline stepped out of the car and walked towards them.

"I got the other brother. Hope you don't mind," Caroline sing-songed into Elena's ear. "Sorry I'm late girls. I, uh, was… busy," Caroline said in a tone that did nothing but imply that she'd been busy in bed with Damon. "Alright. Let's start with a double pike herkie hurdler. What do you say?" Elena glanced back to the car to find Damon staring at her. He flashed her a smirk before driving away.

"Elena, sweetie, you're just here to watch, of course," Caroline said in a tone that nearly had Elena fuming. Of course she was just there to watch. There was no way in hell she'd be doing a double pike herkie hurdler at nearly 17 weeks pregnant and she didn't need Caroline Forbes to tell her that. She sat back and watched, occasionally doing modified versions of the moves that they were doing. Most of them wouldn't hurt her, and she knew she could still do plenty of physical activity, but she didn't want to overdo it. As she watched she glanced over to the football field every once in a while. Halfway through practice she looked over to see Stefan running onto the field, fully dressed in gear. She smiled, knowing that he was there mostly at her request. She watched happily as Stefan caught the ball over and over again. He was good. Really good.

* * *

 **Please review. I'll beg if you want. I live for reviews. Even if they're bad ones. Someone tell me what to do.**


	6. 17 weeks

**AN: I wrote out the dinner party originally, but I realized that there wasn't a line of dialogue that would change because of the situation so it was basically just word for word copying of the script. I decided to skip through it and just pick up here.**

* * *

After the surprise arrival of Damon and Caroline at her dinner party, things were starting to get a little bit better, slowly but surely. Elena could tell that Stefan didn't want Damon around but it was her house and she could invite him in if she wanted. The night had gotten off to an incredibly rocky start. Bonnie had been distant and cold, hardly bothering to acknowledge Stefan until he displayed interest in her family roots in Salem. Elena was further impressed by his vast knowledge of history. When the doorbell rang they were all caught off guard. Stefan tried to convince Damon to leave, but in Elena's mind tonight was all about reconnecting and making new friends. If she could get along with Caroline, who was being _extra_ snotty tonight, Stefan could tolerate Damon. He didn't seem like a really bad guy, but he clearly knew just how to push his little brother's buttons. Damon had brought up Katherine again. At least, Elena had assumed he meant Katherine when he'd said that the last thing he wanted to do was bring "her" up. The way they were talking made it sound as if Katherine had died and Elena felt like she was missing some serious pieces to the puzzle. She wondered if Katherine had something to do with Stefan and Damon's estrangement. She thought about it as she loaded the dishwasher while the rest of them socialized in the living room.

"One more," Damon called out and she turned around to see him holding a wine glass she must've missed in the clean up.

"Thank you," she said as he handed out to her. Her hand hadn't quite grasped it when he let go and it fell towards the floor but Damon caught it in a flash. She couldn't believe the reflexes on these brothers. First, Stefan catches a football he hadn't seen, and now this. "Nice save," she laughed.

"I like you," he said confidently. "You know how to laugh. And you make Stefan smile, which is something I haven't seen in _very_ long time."

Elena took a chance with his moment of honesty and decided to ask the question that had been plaguing her. "Earlier… did you mean Katherine?"

"Mhmm," he mumbled, helping her with the dishes.

Elena was dumbstruck. "How did she die?"

Damon paused for a moment before answering. It looked like it pained him to talk about it. "A fire. Tragic fire."

"Recently?" she asked. Stefan was brooding and a bit of a loner, but he didn't necessarily act the way she thought that a guy whose girlfriend had just died in a tragic fire might. And there was that way that he always referred to the tragic events of his life as having happened 'a long time ago.' She wondered how old he had been, how old Katherine had been when she died.

"Seems like it was yesterday," Damon smiled grimly. She got the feeling he didn't particularly like to reflect on Katherine's passing. She began to wonder how close the two of them had been, despite her being Stefan's girlfriend.

"What was she like?" She was curious to know what kind of girl had attracted both of them. Damon was older, probably at least five years older than Stefan. Depending on how long ago this happened, he could easily be quite a few years older than Katherine. Or maybe Katherine was much older than Stefan. She longed to hear the full story.

Damon thought about his answer for a long moment, as if trying to figure out how exactly to describe her. "She was beautiful. A lot like you in that department. She was also very complicated, and very selfish, and at times not very kind, but very sexy and seductive." She assumed at that point that Katherine had to be much closer to Damon's age. It led her to wonder.

"So which one of you dated her first?"

"Nicely deduced," Damon laughed. "Ask Stefan. I'm sure his answer differs from mine." He looked bitter and she could tell that he still harbored some very deep feelings for Katherine. They had a long, awkward pause.

"So, you're sitting out cheerleading," he observed. Somehow, over the course of dinner and dessert Elena's pregnancy hadn't come up. Everyone in the room just kind of knew about it. Tonight she was wearing a tank top under a light flannel shirt and there was no baby to be seen but she hadn't deluded herself into thinking that Damon wasn't aware of her situation. Caroline had probably given him every gory detail by now.

"Yeah," she sighed. "I used to love it. It was fun. Things are different this year. Everything that used to matter doesn't anymore. Not that I could really cheer anymore even if I wanted to." She tried to avoid having to say it out loud as often as she could. Being pregnant at seventeen sometimes made her feel like a failure even if she was quickly growing to love the life inside of her with an intense ferocity.

"And you can't because…?" he trailed off, seemingly trying to pull it out of her. He was pretending not to know. It was almost sweet and very polite of him.

"Because I'm pregnant," she answered shyly. Damon tried to look appropriately shocked. As if he hadn't known, but wasn't judging her. Elena knew that it was a ruse. "Oh, come on. Don't act like Caroline didn't spill her guts with excruciating and embarrassing detail."

"Okay," he laughed. "So she did. But it's your story to tell and it's your life and your child's life, and I figured that Caroline probably doesn't know how you really feel. Sure, you can tell her facts and details and she can talk about those with strangers and it may be embarrassing, but you'll live with it because it's the truth. But your feelings, your hopes and dreams for your future, and your worries and doubts, those are yours. And I wanted to tell you that if you're looking for someone to talk to, I'm a pretty good third-party listener." His speech made Elena smile. He was completely right. Nobody really thought to ask about her hopes and fears for the future. They were all more concerned with the past or the right now. Truth be told, she had many doubts. She doubted that she'd be able to raise a baby without the help of her parents. She doubted that she'd ever be able to have a normal life or a normal relationship. It terrified her and she was grateful for this moment of comfort Damon gave her. She only hoped she could comfort him in return.

"I'm sorry," she said after a long pause. He looked incredibly confused. "About Katherine," she clarified. "You lost her too." The look on his face told her clearly that no one had ever thought to say that to him and she hated it. Maybe that was the reason he made so many digs at Stefan- because his feelings weren't heard and his heart was broken over a girl who belonged to his brother. He stared into her eyes and looked truly grateful for what she had said. However, their small moment was soon interrupted by Bonnie.

"Hey. Need some help?" she asked.

"Sure, why not," Damon said, although Elena noticed that he seemed slightly put off. The three of them continued to clean up the kitchen until it was finished and everyone left but Stefan.

* * *

"Tonight wasn't so bad. I had fun," Elena said as she sat on the couch in the living room, flipping through her history notes.

"That makes one of us," Stefan replied, still displeased that his brother had made an appearance.

"Come on, your brother isn't as bad as you make him out to be. He was actually incredibly nice, and polite, and helpful, and I don't know what you're so worried about," she insisted. Elena could see herself being friends with Damon easily, especially since she was becoming so close with his brother. She and Stefan were a little flirtatious at times, and there was that tiny kiss they had shared, but she still wasn't sure that they should turn it into a big thing since she was carrying someone else's baby. Elena felt no rush to jump into a relationship. While she did like Stefan, she knew that Bonnie was right and that she needed to take it slow.

"I beg to differ," he insisted, but she refused to listen to him bad mouth his brother any longer. They continued their studying and Stefan went home around ten.

* * *

 _Dear Diary, Last night I had a strange dream. It began with Stefan kissing me. At first I was reluctant, but eventually I relaxed. When I pulled away from the kiss I noticed that it was no longer Stefan that I was kissing, but Damon. I'm not sure what to make of it. I have feelings for Stefan, of course. He's gorgeous and sensitive and very smart, and seems willing to do nearly anything I ask. But I'm not sure that I'm ready for anything serious. Not that he's even indicated that he wants anything serious. Damon, however, I'm not sure of my feelings about him. He's beautiful too. His eyes are a blue that could drown and consume me. He's got walls up and at times he's hard to read and even a little rude, but I saw a side to him yesterday that made me long to get to know the real him. Truthfully, I'm not sure that Damon would be interested in me as anything more than a friend, anyway. Why would he be? I'm at least five years younger than him and 17 weeks pregnant. In all honesty, having feelings for Damon would probably be a safer choice because he would never return them. I know I'm still a teenager and I should be living my life and dating and having fun, but I'm not sure that I'm ready to just go around dating someone. Even someone as great as Stefan. When I first met him I was instantly sucked in by his mystery and charisma, but now I'm not so sure that I should've let myself get wrapped up in him so quickly._

Saturday afternoon Elena showered and dressed for the first football game of the season. She saw her old cheerleading uniform in the back of her closet and heaved a sigh. She knew that that wasn't the person she had become. Instead, she opted for a flowy red tank top she'd gotten from a local boutique. It was Mystic Falls Timberwolves red and it looked really good over her adorably tiny belly. She paired it with a pair of dark skinny jeans that she'd bought a maternity band to cover. The jeans fit everywhere except at the button, where she'd become more rounded since she certainly ate like she was feeding two at her dinner gathering last night.

When she arrived at the football field, she was talking with a few acquaintances when Stefan walked up in head to toe football gear.

"Oh, look at you!" she enthused.

"Thank you," he replied smiling. "Hey, I got you something, actually. I hope you don't think it's too soon or too weird, but I wanted you to have it." He pulled out a small wooden box that contained a silver chain with a large silver pendant.

"Oh my God, it's beautiful," she gushed, and it truly was. It was very antique looking and unique, not something you saw on a girl every day; but she thought back to the morning's diary entry and felt a little intimidated. Here he was, buying her gifts and she didn't want him to get the wrong idea. "Look, Stefan, I really appreciate it, and I do like you, it's just that I'm not sure if I'm ready for any kind of real relationship…" she trailed off, not wanting to upset him when he had chosen to give her something so special.

"No, it's okay. I totally understand," he replied, looking a little disheartened. "I'd like you to have it anyway. It's just an antique that I've had forever and I just wanted to give it to you. It doesn't have to mean anything that you don't want it to mean. It's just supposed to be this sort of charm for good luck"

Elena thought for a moment and decided that it wouldn't do too much harm if she took the gift so she gladly accepted it. It made her smile that he had thought of her when he saw it. She took it from him and brought it to her nose. "Is that rose that I smell?" she asked. There was a beautiful floral scent coming from the locket.

"No, it's uh, it's an herb. Smells nice, huh?"

"I love it," she smiled gratefully, turning so that he could clasp it at her neck.

"I also wanted to thank you for pushing me to try out for the team. Feels really good," he said sincerely.

"Of course. I knew you just needed a little push in the right direction."

* * *

At the pre-game bonfire, Coach Tanner gave a great speech about Stefan and Elena beamed with pride for her friend. She cheered along with the crowd when he said "Let's give it up for Stefan Salvatore!" Once the speech was finished, the crowd turned. They could hear the faint yells of a fight breaking out in the distance. Stefan ran towards it and Elena followed him.

She reached the scene just in time to see Stefan confronting Tyler Lockwood. Jeremy was laying on the ground and her heart nearly gave out when she saw him grab a broken whiskey bottle and swing. He missed Tyler and the glass went straight into Stefan's hand. That had to hurt, but her brother was her priority right now.

"What the hell, Jeremy?" she pushed him back. "Put your head up, you're bleeding." She was furious and disgusted with him. Tyler had busted his lip and there was blood pooling in his mouth.

"I'm fine!" he yelled, jerking his head away.

"Yeah, you smell fine," she countered. He smelled like he'd been soaking in the whiskey from the broken bottle.

"Just stop okay," he spat as he walked away. Once he was gone her attention turned back to Stefan.

"Oh my God, your hand!" she reached to grab it but he jerked away, wiping the blood on his pants.

"No, no, no. It's fine," he said, but she knew it was bad. She had heard the slicing of his skin.

"Is it deep? How bad is it?" she grabbed him by the wrist and flipped his fist up. "Come on," she insisted, prying his hand open. To her utter shock and disbelief, his hand was clean and perfectly intact. There was only a faint pink line where the bottle had sliced through him only moments before. It had healed almost instantly. Miraculously. "But… I, I saw it. It was-"

"He missed," Stefan cut her off. But he didn't miss. She knew he hadn't missed. She saw it happen. She _heard_ his skin rip. She'd been standing right behind him. There was no way she'd imagined it. "It's not my blood. See? I'm fine." He wiped his hands again.

"No, no, no. I _saw_ it. The glass cut your hand! It was-"

"It's okay. I'm okay," he cut her off again. "It's almost kick off time, alright? So I'll see you after the game," he walked away before she could ask any more questions. Stefan was clearly avoiding the subject. Elena knew what she saw. She just didn't know how the cut had healed so quickly.

The only thing she could think of to make this make sense was to ask Bonnie. Bonnie had said that she didn't have a good feeling about Stefan. He gave her creepy vibes. Maybe somehow she knew what was wrong with him. Elena walked quickly to the edge of the field where the cheerleaders stood, banners in hand.

"Can I ask you a question and you give me a really serious, no joke response?" she asked Bonnie quickly.

"Yeah, of course," Bonnie responded immediately.

"The bad mojo, when you touched Stefan and had that reaction-"

"You know, forget I said that. Your little dinner party plot totally won me over. Plus I'm glad to see you guys taking it slower," Bonnie interrupted, smiling.

"No, Bonnie, seriously, what was it? Did you see something? Or…" she had to know what her friend was thinking, had to know that she wasn't imagining what had just happened with Stefan.

"It wasn't clear like a picture," Bonnie explained. "Like today I keep seeing those same numbers I told you about. 8, 14, 22. When I touched Stefan, it was a feeling. And it vibrated through me and it was cold and it-" she cut herself off there, as if what she were going to say was either too ridiculous or too unsettling.

"It what?" Elena asked. She knew in that moment that she had to know. If there was something dangerous or amiss about Stefan, she had to know before it was too late.

"It was death," Bonnie said with a sense of absolute certainty. "It's what I imagine death to be like."

Elena couldn't believe what she was hearing. First, Bonnie touches Stefan and he feels like death, and now he's cutting his hand open and healing completely in just minutes. Not to mention his insane reflexes. He's certainly not normal. There's something very off about him and it frightens her.

When Caroline called the squad to attention, Elena decided to run out to her car and sit alone while she gathered her thoughts. She dropped her stuff into the back of her SUV and spun around to find herself face to face with Damon Salvatore.

"Oh! You scared me!" she gasped. Thinking about Stefan had already put her on edge. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm hiding from Caroline," he stage whispered at her. Of course, Caroline was on the field and nowhere within earshot.

"And why is that?" she whispered back, laughing, though she had a good idea.

"I need a break. She talks more than I can listen," he cringed. Elena understood completely. She wasn't entirely sure that Damon knew what he was getting himself into when he started seeing Caroline.

"That could be a sign," she nodded, a smile still playing at her lips.

"Well, she's awfully young," he said.

"Hey! We're not that much younger than you are!" she insisted.

"Yeah. I just don't see it going anywhere in the bigger picture," he sighed. Elena definitely understood that. It was the whole reason that she wasn't dating Matt right now. She knew where Damon was coming from with Caroline, too. Sure, she thought the two of them would have fun together, but she didn't see a guy like Damon settling down with the bubbly, future Miss Mystic Falls, Caroline Forbes. Not that she could really picture Damon settling down. Then again, she'd seen the way he talked about Katherine. Clearly he had a soft spot for the ones he loved. Maybe if he found the right girl one day he'd be the type to settle down.

"I know exactly how you feel. I don't know exactly what Caroline has told you, but Matt- this one's dad-" she interjected, pointing at her belly, "is like that for me. He always wanted this. He wanted to stay in Mystic Falls forever and get married and have babies…"

"And you?" he asked, "What do you want?"

"I don't even know what I want," she sighed. It was true. She liked Stefan, but she didn't know if she wanted a relationship with him, especially after the vibes he was giving off tonight. She didn't feel safe. She certainly didn't want Matt. She felt no spark with him.

"You want a love that consumes you," at first she thought she misheard Damon's muttering.

"What?" she asked as she laughed dryly. That sounded a lot like what she wanted. He stepped in close to her, almost touching her belly with his toned abdomen.

His eyes stared deeply into hers and she saw his pupils dilate as he said "You want to kiss me."

He leaned in to her and she grabbed his chin, pushing him back. "Nice try," she said. "I'm not letting you use me to get under Stefan's skin. I don't know what happened in the past, but I'm not Katherine. I won't let the two of you play with me. I'm a person, and soon I'll be a mother, and I respect myself more than this." Elena got in her car and drove away from the school without another word.

If she were being honest with herself, parts of her really had wanted to kiss Damon. However, she had priorities and she wouldn't let herself get sucked into their drama when she had her child to worry about.

* * *

 **AN: So if you haven't noticed, this is where a lot of the changes have really started to come in. Elena and Stefan aren't actually dating, and she's feeling a connection to Damon as a result of it. I think that this is fairly realistic because most of the way she acted around Damon in the beginning was due to how quickly she formed a relationship with Stefan. Now that she's taking it slower, she doesn't have to be so anti-Damon just because Stefan is. Also, since this story is extremely Elena-centric, you can't see how much she's effecting Damon, but there's certainly plenty of cause and effect going on in their strange relationship.**


	7. 17 weeks, 4 days

**AN: This is the first chapter that contains absolutely no dialogue or scenes from the original show. This chapter takes place in the week between episodes 3 and 4.**

 **Since the last chapter was so incredibly short I decided I'd post 2 today.**

* * *

The following week Elena put a little more distance between herself and Stefan. She still wasn't sure what exactly the deal was with him, but she didn't want to get close enough for it to burn her. She opted to stick closer to Bonnie and her Aunt Jenna. Caroline was still dating Damon, which surprised Elena after their talk at the football game. She wasn't sure how she felt about him. He was probably just using Caroline for sex, but Caroline didn't seem to mind. Elena, however, had no desire to be used by Damon.

Her second week of school she blew up like a balloon. On Wednesday she had to wear one of her dad's old button-ups because all of her shirts were too tight to stretch over her baby belly. That afternoon Jenna took her straight to a nearby mall after school. The mall had a maternity store and a few stores with small maternity sections.

"Ooh, how about this one?" Jenna asked, holding up a dress that looked like a long denim t-shirt with extra fabric around the belly.

"It's cute, but it'll start getting cold out soon. I need to get more winter weather stuff," she grabbed a black off-the shoulder sweater that claimed to be perfect for every trimester.

"That's cute," Jenna agreed. They ended their shopping trip with two pairs of maternity jeans, five dresses (including a formal one for the upcoming Mystic Falls Founder's Ball), three new bras, a few sweaters, and a stack of baby hugging t-shirts with funny sayings like 'Feed me and tell me I'm pretty' and 'I seriously miss coffee' and 'Don't eat watermelon seeds.' They giggled for the rest of the day at those.

At lunch time they popped into the food court and Elena turned to Jenna. "Please don't judge me for what I'm about to do. I'm 17 weeks pregnant and I've been fighting this craving all day."

"I would never!" Jenna laughed, though they both knew that she totally would. Elena headed straight for the fried chicken joint and ordered 3 servings of cheesy mashed potatoes. "That's it?" Jenna asked dubiously.

"No…" Elena said shyly as she walked to the ice cream kiosk and ordered a large cup of chocolate sauce and a cup of ice.

"Elena. No." Jenna insisted when she realized what her niece was doing.

"Jenna, please! I can't stop thinking about it. It's all I've wanted all day!" she replied, holding the cup of warm chocolate sauce over her piled high plate of potatoes and cheese.

"I can't watch this," Jenna said, holding her head up to the ceiling as Elena dumped the entire cup onto her plate. Jenna ate her slice of pizza in silence, keeping her eyes off of the hot mess in front of her. "Dear God, may I never have children so that I don't have to ingest that horrendous concoction," she jokingly prayed.

"You know, you say that now, but when you're in my shoes this is gonna look like the best thing that's ever happened to you," Elena said through a mouthful of cheesy chocolate potatoes. She felt truly content today, like she could just be her pregnant self and not have to apologize or hold back. She rested her hand on her stomach frequently without worrying what others would think and she looked at baby clothes with a sparkle in her eye.

"How are you feeling?" Jenna asked her suddenly.

"I'm good. My back's a little achy, but now that I finally got this I feel great," she gestured towards her meal.

"No, not like that. I mean how do you feel about having this baby?"

"Honestly… I feel good. I almost feel bad for saying it, like I shouldn't be okay with having a baby at my age, but I'm actually sort of happy. Any day now I'll be able to feel it move and I'm so excited for that. I think I'm in love. I know that it's going to be incredibly difficult and maybe even impossible, like you said it was, but I want this baby so badly," Elena said, almost embarrassed. Jenna grabbed her hand.

"Good. You're supposed to feel that way, Elena. No matter how old you are or what's going on in your life, this is your baby, and it needs that love from you. I'm so proud of you. I hope you know that," her aunt insisted. Elena felt the tears welling up in her eyes and before she could do anything to stop them they came pouring out. She'd become more emotional the past few weeks, especially after the football game and everything with Stefan and Damon, and finding out that Coach Tanner had been killed by an animal at the school. She just let everything out now. It was what she needed.

Jenna pulled her into a nearby restroom and Elena cried on her shoulder for almost thirty minutes. She cried for her parents, she cried for her brother, for Jenna and for Matt, Bonnie, Caroline, Stefan, Damon, and even Coach Tanner. She cried for her baby. Tears of both sadness and joy.

"Holy pregnancy hormones, Batman," she laughed through her tears after she blubbered on about how none of her friends were having babies so her child wouldn't have a built in best friend like she and her mom had had with Caroline and Sheriff Forbes.

"All of your fears are valid, Elena. But you'll do a wonderful job. I know you will. You had amazing parents. Just remember what they taught you and pass it on to your kid," Jenna smiled, squeezing her hand. "Now, you mentioned something about Stefan and Damon? Which one of them will be accompanying you to the Founder's Ball next week?" she winked and nudged at her niece playfully.

"Neither," Elena laughed. She knew that Jenna had very little interest in the Founders parties. It was just a segway to get her to admit feelings for one of them. "Damon is probably going with Caroline, and Stefan and I are just friends. Plus he's a founding family member anyway. He can go on his own."

"Maybe you should just ask him as friends anyway," Jenna suggested.

"I'll think about it," Elena replied noncommittally.

"Alright. So, your doctor's appointment is on Friday. Is Matt going or are you flying solo?" Jenna asked.

"Well, I talked to Dr. Tynes and she said that as long as the baby's in the right position we may actually be able to find out what we're having at this appointment. It's a little soon, but if we're lucky it could happen. I definitely want Matt to be there for that," she said. She was thrilled to find out the gender of her baby, it made it all the more real.

"Woah! We should've held off on shopping for a couple days. We could've gotten some gender appropriate baby stuff," Jenna laughed.

"No, this was perfect. I definitely needed this today," Elena insisted.

* * *

After school on Friday, Elena hopped into Matt's truck and they drove to the Mystic Falls OB/GYN

"Today could be the day," Elena enthused. Matt flashed her a cheesy smile. "What are you hoping for?" she asked him.

"Honestly, I have no idea. It'd be cool to have a son. You know, toss around a football and teach him to be a man, like my dad never taught me. But I could get wrapped around a little girl really quick. Be her knight in shining armor and everything," Elena understood.

"We've been taking bets. Everybody says it's a girl except for Jeremy. He's desperate for a nephew, but I think he's gonna stay outnumbered. Plus Bonnie's like psychic and she swears it's a girl," they laughed together at that.

Matt had backed off a little bit in the last week and Elena was feeling more and more at ease with him, like she had before they'd dated. It really gave her hope that they could raise this baby together with no hard feelings.

"I'm good either way, as long as it's healthy. I worry about that sometimes. Like if maybe something happened," Matt said quietly.

"I've had this sort of fear since I found out. I worried that maybe because I was under water for so long after the crash maybe it would affect the baby somehow, but Dr. Tynes told me there was nothing to worry about," After Elena confessed her worries at her 13 week check up she'd felt a huge weight come off of her shoulders. She didn't want to worry Matt with it before she found out anything for sure and now he was only the second person she'd ever told about that fear.

"That's really good," he said. "I thought about that a few times. I'm really glad you're letting me come with you today, Elena," he looked part relieved and part honored to be by her side.

"Matt, we may not be together anymore, but you're still this baby's dad. I want you to be in its life. I want you to love it fiercely because I know that you have that in you. You're going to be great. I'm thankful that it's you," Elena said earnestly with a tear in her eye. Before she could get too emotional Matt gave her hand a light squeeze and they pulled into a parking spot at the doctor's office.

* * *

"Alright, Mom and Dad! Looks like baby Gilbert wants you to find out their gender today. We've got a really great visual if you're ready to find out," the ultrasound technician said as she glided the wand across Elena's protruding stomach.

"Definitely ready," Elena smiled.

"Alright, if you'll look right there in between baby's legs we can see that there's something distinctly missing from the picture, so I can tell you with about 100% confidence that you're going to be having a baby girl!" Matt put his head in his hands and Elena wasn't sure if he was laughing or crying, but she certainly felt a tear or two slip down her cheeks while she beamed. Suddenly it was rock solid. She was going to have a daughter in five months. She could put her in gymnastics and ballet and teach her to write in a diary and braid her hair. She could comfort her through a heartbreak and teach her to love and dance in the kitchen while baking cookies. For the first time since she got pregnant she saw the future and it looked bright. She pictured Matt trying to put mismatched frilly socks on tiny feet and adorning her head with bows that were bigger than she was and picking her up from dance class to take her out for ice cream. For that one shining moment she felt like everything would be okay.

After Matt had asked all of his burning questions and she set her next appointment for October 16th, they left the office with stacks of pamphlets.

"I can't believe this," Matt beamed as he held the truck door open for Elena to step in. "We're gonna have a daughter. This is crazy, Lena."

"I feel so good right now," she smiled. "Hey, do you wanna come over? We've got planning and baby naming to do," she giggled and Matt headed to her house.

* * *

"What kind of names are you thinking? Because I don't really have any in mind. I figure girls have all this kind of stuff planned out way ahead," Matt said, sitting on Elena's couch with a baby name book in his hand.

"I've got a couple ideas but nothing solid," Elena sighed. "I've never really been the type to name future babies, but when I found out I was pregnant I started thinking about it. I had a boy name picked out but it's useless now."

"What was it?" Matt asked.

"Grayson. After my dad. Grayson James," she said. "I thought about maybe Sommer for a middle name for a girl. Spelled like my mom's maiden name."

"That's not too bad. If we can come up with a first name that sounds good with it I'm up for it," Matt said. They flipped through the book and some websites for a while, spouting off different names when they found something they liked.

"What about Olivia?" Matt asked.

"No. Remember Olivia Carlton from third grade? She was a terror… What about Cara?" Elena replied.

"Cara Ellerbe was my first kiss so I'm gonna have to veto that," Matt laughed. "Wow, you never realize how many people you don't like until you're trying to name your kid."

"Maybe Lily?" Elena asked, giggling.

"Lily Sommer? Kinda sounds like a stripper name," Matt cringed. Elena laughed heartily at that. "What about Grace?" he asked.

"Oh my God, Matt!" she gasped after a moment.

"What?" he asked, slightly afraid.

"Just hear me out on this. I have to write it down," Elena grabbed a pen and notepad from the end table drawer. She scribbled down a name and passed it to him.

 _Graysen Sommer_

"We can call her Grays for short. It has both of my parents in it and it sounds really pretty," she gushed. She was desperate for Matt to like the name. Suddenly it meant everything to her and she knew that it was perfect for their little girl.

"I love it," he told her sincerely. "It's perfect."

After they had a solid name choice down, they thought about everything else that the doctor had said. By now the baby should be able to hear, and from birth she would be able to recognized Elena's voice.

"I'm gonna make her a playlist," Matt said. "You know, like how some women play Mozart to their bellies. I want to make a list of songs that make me think of her and I want you to play them to her. Is that weird?"

"No, Matt. That's really sweet. I'd love that," she told him.

* * *

 **Alright, well there goes! This is the first chapter that's 100% original scene and dialogue. Please let me know what you think! I live and breathe for reviews, even if they're bad.**

 **Also, what do you guys think of the name? I'm kind of obsessed with it! It took me a couple days to decide for sure, but I like it a lot!**


	8. 18 weeks, 5 days

"Delicate Flower versus Naughty Vixen," Bonnie said holding up two bottles of nail polish and comparing them.

"Tough call. Can we mix them?" Elena asked.

"Look at you getting all pretty for your date," Bonnie joked. "You seem happyish."

"I am ish. Life's pretty good right now. But this isn't a date. Stefan and I are just friends. I just asked him to come with me because I'd like to still be friends with him, even if he does give off weird death vibes," Elena laughed. "Now spill whatever it was that you've been dying to tell me since you walked in the door."

"What if I just tell you in the morning? I don't wanna ruin the night," Bonnie tried.

"Bonnie, out with it."

"Okay. But it has to go in the vault because Caroline will kill me if it gets back to Damon that she squealed," Elena gave her a look that said both 'I promise not to tell,' and 'You're trying my patience.'

"Apparently Stefan has a very interesting backstory," Bonnie said. That sounded like an understatement.

"Uh huh."

"Do you know what happened with his ex-girlfriend Katherine?" Bonnie asked.

"I know that they both dated her and that's why they have issues."

"Yeah, they both dated her, only she chose Damon. That drove Stefan mad so he did horrible things to try to break them up. He manipulated Katherine. He filled her head with all these lies until finally, it worked and she turned against Damon." Elena thought back to everything she's heard about Katherine before. She knew that both brothers cared for her deeply and that she'd been with Stefan when she died. Sure, Stefan was always cold towards his brother, but she didn't think he was the type to manipulate a girl into choosing him. After all, he was giving her all the space she needed. She knew Damon liked to play mind games, so maybe he was just making all of this up. Then again, he hadn't tried to push the story on her. In fact, he'd told her to ask Stefan for his side of the story.

"Maybe that's just the way Damon saw it. There's more than one side to every story," she defended.

"I just wanted you to know," Bonnie said.

"Anyway, his past relationships are really none of my business."

"Unless he's a calculating, manipulative liar. That is defs your business," Bonnie said nonchalantly as she painted her nails.

"Stefan is none of those things," Elena laughed.

"Yeah? How do you know?" Elena thought about it for a while. She really didn't know. She didn't know much of anything about Stefan's life before he came to Mystic Falls. Sure, they talked, but he always found ways to steer the conversation so that it wasn't about his past. They'd been friends for weeks and what little she knew about him was all superficial.

As she and Bonnie finished their hair and makeup in preparation for the ball, Elena got a call from Mrs. Lockwood, the mayor's wife. Elena's mom had promised to loan them several items that had been passed down through the family for an exhibit. Elena had given them to Tyler to give to his mother and when he got there a piece was missing. Elena wasn't surprised when she discovered that it was the pocket watch Jeremy had claimed earlier in the day that was missing. She stormed into Jeremy's room and smacked his headphones off of his ears.

"Agh, what now?!" he complained.

"The pocket watch. Where is it?" she demanded.

"What watch?" Jeremy was playing dumb.

"The pocket watch you stole from Mom's box. Look, Mrs. Lockwood just called me freaking out. It was on the list, Jeremy, and she can't find it and she thinks she's the one who lost it."

"Then maybe she did. Maybe Tyler took it," he sounded like a smart ass and Elena was tired of Jeremy and tired of him fighting with Tyler.

"Don't even play that card. Jeremy, you took it. If I go online am I gonna find it on Ebay? Is that how you pay for your pot?" He'd wondered aloud earlier how much the antiques would sell for and it made her sick to her stomach to think of their family's heirlooms being given to strangers just so her selfish brother could afford drugs.

"Screw you," he said, walking over to his bookcase to pull the pocket watch out from behind a speaker. "I would never sell this, okay?"

Elena felt slightly relieved. "Then why did you take it?" she asked.

"Because it's supposed to be mine. Dad said it goes to the first born son. His father gave it to him and now what?" he asked, slamming it into her hand. Elena took a moment to thank God that she was having a girl so that Jeremy didn't try to fire that at her.

"And he was gonna give it to you," she said tenderly, understanding now why her brother had tried to keep it.

"Yeah."

"Look, Jeremy, it's still yours, okay? Mom promised Mrs. Lockwood. What do you want me to do?" she asked. At this point she didn't think there was anything that she could do to make her brother feel better.

"Just take it and get out," he said.

After her fight with her brother, Elena finished getting ready. Her hair was straightened as always and she gathered the top section into a small bump. The maternity dress that she'd bought for the occasion was tight around her very full chest and flowed out over her belly. Elena looked _very_ pregnant today. She was nearing her 19th week and she was still thin everywhere but her stomach. She was all baby. It wasn't that she looked like a whale or that she looked ready to pop; she had just grown an unmistakable bump. All the reading she'd done had told her that Graysen was roughly the size of a sweet potato, which had prompted her and Matt to call her 'Sweet Potato' until they were 100% sure on the name. Elena insisted that it was an important decision to make and that they needed to think it over for a couple of weeks before they decided for sure and told everyone. They hadn't even hinted to anyone, except Jenna, that they had baby name ideas yet because they knew that Bonnie and Caroline would be relentless. Jenna, of course, was absolutely in love with the name and was probably already having things monogrammed.

She stepped into a pair of short kitten heels and put in some hoop earrings.

At the last minute, Elena decided to leave the pocket watch with Jeremy after all. It wasn't worth fighting over and it did belong to him.

* * *

Elena met up with Stefan at the Lockwood's house, mansion, whatever, and they walked to the front door together.

"Hi, Mayor Lockwood," Elena waved shyly when they reached the front door. The mayor and her father had been close once. She'd grown up playing at his house and hated to think he'd be disappointed in her.

"Hey guys! Come on in! You look beautiful, Elena," he said. His smile seemed genuine and it instantly put Elena at ease. She and Stefan crossed the threshold and went to go mingle and explore. Several people asked her how she was since her parents died. Even more asked her about her pregnancy. Some were graceful, others weren't. A few of them groped her stomach and made her exceedingly uncomfortable. She was not a petting zoo. After about the third pair of hands came up to touch her belly she decided that she needed find a less populated part of the house.

She excused herself from Stefan and went upstairs to look through the exhibit of artifacts owned by the original town founders. She spotted her parents' wedding rings on a small display next to a card that said 'On loan from the Gilbert family.' She felt Stefan come up behind her and rest his hand gently on her back. "Your parents'?" he asked.

"There's a lot of history here," she sighed. She meant more than just the antiques. Elena knew almost everyone in attendance tonight. They'd seen her grow up, known her parents, and driven her to gymnastics lessons. She'd known these people all her life but now she felt like they knew nothing about her. It was disheartening to say the least.

She continued her walk around the exhibit and found the original town council ball guest registry hanging on the wall. "Look at all these familiar names!" she said excitedly as she began to read them to Stefan. "Sherriff William Forbes, Mayor Benjamin Lockwood… is that _Damon_ Salvatore? And… _Stefan_ Salvatore?" she asked.

"The original Salvatore brothers," Elena whipped her head around at the sound of Damon's voice. He'd just walked in with Caroline on his arm. "Our ancestors. Tragic story, actually."

"We don't need to bore them with stories of the past," Stefan interjected. Elena found it odd considering he was always very enthusiastic when it came to local history.

"It's not boring," she insisted. "I'd love to hear more about your family."

"Well I'm bored," Caroline interrupted. "I wanna dance. And _Damon_ won't dance with me. Can I just borrow your date?"

"It's fine with me," Elena laughed.

"Oh, I don't really dance," Stefan said when Caroline turned her eyes on him.

"Oh sure he does!" Damon said. "You should see him. The waltz, jitterbug, the moonwalk. He does it all."

"You sure you wouldn't mind, Elena?" Caroline asked, just as a formality. It was clear that she didn't particularly care.

"Not at all. It's entirely up to Stefan."

"Well sorry, but I'm not going to take 'no' for an answer," she smiled, grabbing Stefan by the arm and pulling him away.

Once Elena was alone with Damon, he turned to her and spoke carefully. "I want to apologize to you for being such a world class jerk the other night when I tried to kiss you. There was no excuse. My therapist says I'm acting out; trying to punish Stefan."

"For what?" she asked, though from what Bonnie had told her she knew what his answer would be.

"It's all in the past. I don't even want to bring it up. Let's just say that the men in the Salvatore family have been cursed with sibling rivalry and it all started with the original Salvatore brothers," he said. "The Salvatore name was practically royalty in this town until the war. There was a battle here-"

"The Battle of Willow Creek," Elena remember from her history class. Coach Tanner had called on her, but she didn't know the answer and Stefan had stepped up.

"Right," Damon was clearly impressed.

"I know. We talked about it in class. Confederate soldiers fired on a church with civilians inside."

"What the history books left out was that the people that were killed, they weren't there by accident. They were believed to be Union sympathizers so some of the founders on the Confederacy side back then wanted them rounded up and burned alive. Stefan and Damon had someone they loved very much in that church. And when they went to rescue them they were… shot. Murdered in cold blood." Elena was entranced with Damon's story. She was amazed that he knew so much about the history of his family and this town. She knew very few real details about her ancestors. The way Damon told it sounded so vivid, as if he'd had a first-hand account.

"Who was in the church that they wanted to save?" she asked.

"A woman, I guess," Damon smirked. The original Stefan and Damon Salvatore had fought over a woman who died in a fire. Elena immediately thought of Katherine. "Doesn't it always come down to the love of a woman?"

"I'm sorry that you and Stefan have this thing in between you. I really hope that you can work it out," Elena said. After her fight with her brother, she knew how important it was for siblings to have each other's backs in the end. She hoped that Stefan and Damon would be able to have that kind of relationship someday.

"I hope so too," he said, but the tone of his voice made it clear that he didn't think it was possible. Suddenly his head perked up and he looked up at her. "How's baby Gilbert doing?" he asked.

"She's good," Elena smiled.

"So it's a girl?" he asked smiling back at her. This smile was the closest she'd seen to genuine on Damon's face. It made her happy. "Does it feel like a soccer game's going on in there?" he asked, laughing.

"No, actually I haven't felt- oh!" Elena stopped in her tracks and put her hand to her belly. On the outside there was nothing, but on the inside she felt a faint rolling. "Woah. Actually, I take that back. Oh my God, I think I just felt her move for the first time!" Her smile threatened to split her face in two and she felt the roll again. "This is incredible!" Tears sprung to her eyes and she tried to blink them back but a couple spilled out.

"That's amazing," Damon smiled. She changed her mind. _This_ was the closest she'd seen to a genuine smile. So, the eldest Salvatore had a soft spot for babies. Who knew? Elena couldn't help but to think that he had a beautiful smile. She wished she could see it more. She decided to make him the first one outside of the family to know the name.

"If you swear not to tell anyone I'll tell you the name I've picked out. It's not set in stone or anything- that's why I haven't told anyone- but I think it's the one," she beamed.

"I swear," he said.

"You can't even tell Stefan to rub his nose in it that I told you first," she warned, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Elena, I swear. I won't tell a soul," the way Damon said her name almost made her shudder. It rolled off his lips as if the syllables were designed for him. She quickly shook it off and ignored the feeling.

"Graysen Sommer. After my father's first name and my mother's maiden name," she spoke quietly so no one could overhear.

"It's beautiful," he said honestly. "Graysen Sommer Gilbert. I like it."

"Me too," Elena laughed. "But her last name will probably be Donovan. That's Matt's last name."

"Graysen Donovan?" he asked. "Doesn't quite have that ring to it. Besides, you're a founding family member. Surely the last name comes with perks." Elena couldn't help but agree. She decided she'd broach the subject with Matt later. She wasn't sure that she liked the idea of her baby sharing a last name with the rest of his family. He was by far the best of them.

Elena and Damon soon decided to go outside to find Stefan and Caroline. They were sipping champagne on the dance floor, keeping an eye out for Sherriff Forbes.

"Did we miss anything?" Damon asked.

"We were just chatting," Stefan said, forcing a smile. "Drink?" he asked, holding a champagne flute out for Damon.

"No thanks. I'll pass," he said and they had a small stare down. It made Elena slightly uncomfortable.

"Stefan, do you think you've got one more dance in you?" she asked. Truth be told, she wanted to dance with Damon, but he made it clear that he wasn't the dancing type.

"Absolutely," he smiled, taking her hand and leading her to the dance floor. The swayed together slowly. "I hope Damon didn't drive you too crazy," he said after a while.

"No, he was on very good behavior," she laughed. "He apologized and explained why he is the way he is. That it all goes back to Katherine." Stefan nodded and twirled her around slowly. "So tell me about her. What happened?"

"Not something I like to talk about," he said with a grimace. She was getting tired of him avoiding any and all subjects in regards to his past.

"I get that. I do. I just want you to open up to me. I burden you with all of my drama and I want you to know you can certainly do the same. You can talk to me," she insisted.

"Thank you," he said simply, making it clear that he still had no intention of discussing Katherine.

"The truth is, Stefan, I don't really know anything about you and I'd really love it if you would open up to me," she was being persistent. She really did want to get to know Stefan more. She wanted to be friends with him. He intrigued her and he was kind and understanding. She'd had a huge crush on him the first week they met, but it was dwindling with each passing day that he hid himself from her.

"Damon said something, didn't he?" Suddenly he was on the defensive. "He likes to play games and cause trouble, Elena."

"This isn't about Damon, it's about me trying to get to know you," she was starting to get angry. "Look, you're the mystery guy, and that's cool and all, but the truth is, I have a daughter to look out for and being in my life means being in hers and I have to be able to trust the people close to us. With all of your mystery comes secrets, and this thing with Katherine."

"Look, let it go," Stefan said. "I don't wanna talk about it."

"Well then say _something_ about yourself! Anything!" she demanded. "Otherwise, I'm left with nothing but what other people tell me."

"Don't you see what Damon has done here?" Stefan asked, looking at her like she was stupid. She couldn't believe his nerve to blame all of this on Damon. Damon had no problem opening up to her. Damon had no problem talking about his past and even sharing some of his feelings. "He's trying to get you to turn against me."

"Well then I guess it's working," Elena huffed as she stormed off the dance floor.

* * *

After her epic storm off, Elena sought out Bonnie. When she found her, they went to a secluded corner of an empty room and Elena cried silently into her shoulder. The hormones were really getting the best of her today.

"It's my fault," Bonnie said. "I planted doubt. I'm a doubt planter."

"It's not your fault," Elena assured her. "I just hate that now I'm all in the middle of the epic Salvatore brothers' girl drama. And I got all snotty. I feel bad."

"Elena, honey, there you are," Mrs. Lockwood said, walking over to sit with the girls. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Mrs. Lockwood. Just hormones and high school drama. That's what I get, I guess," Mrs. Lockwood politely avoided responding to her comment. Elena appreciated it.

"I was just coming to look for you because I noticed the watch still isn't in the collection," she said softly.

"Oh, I'm sorry Mrs. Lockwood. I, um, I couldn't find it. It's still packed up in my parents' stuff somewhere," she stuttered. She knew that her mom had promised the watch to the council, but Elena knew in her heart that it belonged to her brother. Things were different now that their parents were gone and she was sure that her mom would understand why she'd let Jeremy keep it.

"I see. Well please let me know if you do find it," she patted Elena's knee comfortingly and left them to go back to the party.

After a while, Elena went to the bathroom to touch up her makeup after her crying sesh with Bonnie. When she got there she ran into Caroline.

"So, how are things with Stefan?" Caroline asked awkwardly.

"Fine, I guess. We're just friends, Caroline," she sighed.

"I was getting all sorts of awkward vibes off of you guys tonight," she said, applying her lip gloss. Elena wasn't entirely sure what that was supposed to mean. She watched Caroline and her eyes floated to a small red scab peeking out from under Caroline's scarf.

"What is that?" she asked, pulling at the edge of the scarf.

"Don't," Caroline brushed her off sharply. Elena reached again and pulled the scarf up quickly. She saw aggravated red marks, shaped almost like a bite.

"Oh my God, Caroline! What happened?"

"It's nothing, okay?" Caroline insisted defensively.

"That is _not_ nothing. Did somebody hurt you?" Elena demanded.

"No! It's _nothing_. It just… my mom would kill me," she whispered, continuing to fix her makeup as if her neck didn't look like she'd been brutally attacked. Elena pulled down the sleeve of Caroline's crocheted cardigan to see another mark. This one was clearly a bite.

"Did Damon hurt you?" she asked, astonished.

"No! Of course not!" Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately for Caroline, she was extremely unconvincing. Elena grabbed for the cardigan again, trying to get a better look. "Just LEAVE ME ALONE, Elena! Okay?!" Caroline yelled, pushing past her. Elena was in shock. This was nothing like the Caroline she knew. She seemed angry and a little afraid.

* * *

Elena walked to the back of the Lockwood house. Damon stood near the back door smirking at her. She shoved at his chest hard. "There is something seriously wrong with you," she accused. "You stay away from Caroline or I will go straight to her mother- the sheriff. Got it? Stay away from her," with that she stormed away, not being able to stand looking at Damon any longer. She found Stefan in the distance, standing near the pond, and she felt a strong need to apologize.

"I'm sorry! I take it back. You were right about Damon," she told him. He looked concerned and she noted appreciatively that there wasn't even a hint of an 'I told you so' on his face.

"What did he do?" he asked.

"There are bruises all over Caroline's body. Bite marks! And he has her all confused and messed up in the head." Stefan nodded glumly. "You don't look surprised," she accused. What kind of people were the Salvatore brothers?

"Um… I'm handling it," Stefan said softly.

"Handling it?" she scoffed. "If you knew he was abusing her you should be having him arrested!"

"Elena, please… I don't expect you to understand-" he started.

"I don't understand anything, Stefan. So why don't you just clear it up for me?" she pleaded with him.

"Look, there are things that you don't know, okay," he said harshly, "things that I _want_ to tell you, but I can't. And I may never be able to. And I just need you to trust me," he said.

"Trust is earned," she told him. "I can't just magically hand it over." She found it increasingly difficult to trust anything that came out of the Salvatore's mouths. She never knew when they were being genuine or when they were playing with her and stringing her along.

"I'm so sorry, I have to go," Stefan said. He walked away, leaving Elena standing dumbstruck next to the pond.

Since Stefan didn't want to listen to her maybe she'd have better luck trying Caroline again. She needed to understand what was going on. After nearly a half hour of searching, she saw her friend standing alone out in the yard.

"Caroline? There you are, I've been looking everywhere for you," she sighed. As she got closer she noticed that it looked like Caroline had been crying. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine," Caroline whimpered breathlessly. She sounded anything but.

"Caroline, what happened?" she asked again, her voice softer.

"I'm fine," she insisted, but she started to hyperventilate. Clearly there was something very wrong with her. Elena wondered if Damon had hurt her after she'd confronted him.

"No, you're shaking. Caroline come here," she hugged the blonde who continued to hyperventilate in her arms, all the while muttering that she was fine. Once she was secured in the hug she began to sob deeply into Elena's shoulder.

* * *

 **I didn't change much from the original just because I still wanted Elena to have that conflict with Damon and I needed her to find out about Caroline because it works in later. Please let me know what you think.**

 **Thank you guys SO much for the reviews on the last chapter! I appreciate them all SO much! As a thanks, I'm posting this chapter this morning.** **Sorry it's so short, especially compared to the last chapter, but I thought it flowed better when I cut it this way.**

 **Also, I wanted to respond to a guest reviewer about the name: I don't think that Matt would want to name their baby after his parents because essentially they've both abandoned him. I honestly don't believe that Matt would put up too much of a fight if Elena decided to give the baby her last name. It's actually very common when the parents aren't married, and with her name being almost famous in the town he would be okay with it. Especially since he didn't have a good relationship with his father so he feels no need to carry on his legacy. Hope that makes sense!**


	9. 19 weeks, 2 days

Elena woke up Monday morning feeling exceedingly irritated. She tried to write in her diary, but she just couldn't find the words to express what she was feeling. Stefan had blown her off again, and Damon, the brother she thought she could trust, had been abusing one of her best friends. She knew she should be thankful that they weren't scrambling to talk to her, but instead she couldn't help but feel disappointed. After she'd given up on the journal, she got up to use the bathroom and get ready for school.

When she opened the bathroom door she was shocked to see Vicki Donovan in her bathroom brushing her teeth. She knew that her brother had slept with Matt's sister, but she didn't expect them to be so obvious about it.

"Uh… I'm sorry. I'm almost done," the older girl said awkwardly.

"Uh it's okay. Take your time," Elena replied hurriedly. She quickly ran downstairs.

"Jenna!" she whispered. "Are you aware of what's going on upstairs?"

"Uh huh," Jenna replied nonchalantly.

"And you have no objection?" Elena asked.

"He could be craftier about it- at least make an effort to sneak her in and out," she joked. At this point they both knew that hovering over Jeremy wasn't helping. They needed to give him space and gentle guidance.

"I just don't want them to end up like Matt and I," Elena sighed.

"Taken care of," Jenna said. "Put a shiny new box of condoms on his dresser yesterday. It's the only thing I can do to help, so I'm gonna do it no matter how uncomfortable it is to think about." Elena grimaced. "Oh, and just so you know, I won't be home for dinner."

"So you're actually going to do it? You're gonna go out with Logan," Elena sing-songed as she poured herself a huge bowl of Frosted Flakes with chocolate milk.

"I'm gonna show up and torture him, yes," Jenna countered. "And have you heard from Stefan or Damon?"

"Not since Stefan left that very vague message three days ago. 'Hi, um, Elena, I uh have something I have to do. I'll uh explain in a few days,'" she said in her best Stefan impersonation. She pulled a face just thinking about the message. It was total BS in her opinion. Jenna laughed.

"Have you called him?"

"Nope. Not going to, either. It's for the best if I just cut both of them loose right now. Stefan's been nonstop hot and cold and super sketchy from the start. Damon's a little… callous, but I thought that maybe deep down he was a good guy. Now I think that deep down he's just even more manipulative. I'm not gonna cry about it. These guys are seriously screwed up and I don't need them around while I'm trying to raise a baby. You know, I was gonna write in my diary this morning, but then I thought 'what am I gonna write?' Honestly, I'm not gonna be one of those pathetic girls whose world stops spinning because of some guy," Elena huffed. At the end of her rant, she wasn't even sure which brother she had been talking about. She angrily took a bite of her chocolatey cereal and then cut up a banana to add to it.

"Okay then," Jenna said.

"I'll be fine," she griped, aggressively tossing the banana peel into the trash.

* * *

Elena and Bonnie stood next to the lockers at school when they heard Caroline talking up a storm about the 'Sexy Suds Car Wash' as she neared them. She was handing out flyers down the hall.

"Unbelievable," Elena said. "It's like nothing happened."

"She's in denial," Bonnie replied.

Elena looked over to see Caroline smiling brightly and she worried about her.

"Hey," Elena heard Stefan's voice from over her shoulder. She was actually a little surprised to see him at school, and even more surprised that he was talking to her.

"Hey, you know, I gotta go um… be somewhere right now," Bonnie said awkwardly, leaving the two alone to talk. Elena avoided eye contact.

"I'm so sorry I haven't called," he said, stooping down in an attempt to meet her eyes.

"It's not a big deal, Stefan," she said. She hadn't expected to hear from him again, especially not so soon.

"I was… dealing with Damon," he supplied lamely.

"And did you? Deal with Damon?" she asked angrily.

"Yes. Yeah," he said certainly. "I know you're upset, and you have every right to be, but can I explain it all to you please?" he asked.

"Sure. When?" she sighed.

"I gotta be home after school. But The Grill? At four o'clock?" he asked.

"Okay," she agreed reluctantly, and he thanked her as Caroline walked up.

"Stefan, where's Damon?" she asked. "He has some serious apologizing to do."

"He's gone, Caroline," Stefan said sternly. Elena wasn't sure where Damon could've gone, but she was still so angry with him that she didn't even care.

"When's he coming back? Caroline asked.

"He's not coming back. I'm sorry," Stefan replied. Elena turned to look at him. She was shocked. Shocked to find out that Damon was gone for good, and shocked that his brother was so okay with it. Hell, he was the one who had sent him away. Sure, she didn't know of a reason that Damon would come back, but she didn't expect their last interaction to be the last one she ever had with him. She wanted answers. She wanted clarification. Damon was the only Salvatore who had ever given her those things before.

Caroline looked upset as Stefan walked away. "Maybe this is a good thing, Caroline," Elena suggested as she rubbed her friend's arm in comfort.

"I know that," Caroline responded blankly.

* * *

At 4:00 on the dot, Elena walked into the Mystic Grill. She looked around for Stefan but found Matt instead. He was playing pool alone.

"Hey Matt," she smiled. He pulled her in for a quick embrace before placing a hand on her belly.

"Hey, Elena. How's she doing?" Elena actually liked that Matt was asking about the baby instead of her. It really helped draw the line in their relationship.

"She's good. I've felt a couple more little moves over the weekend, but no real kicks yet. Also, she's absolutely addicted to chocolate milk and bananas this week," Matt smiled at that. Elena liked thinking about it. It gave their baby a personality.

"Oh, I finished that playlist I told you I was gonna make," he said. "I put it on one of my old iPods. I can bring it to you at school tomorrow."

"Yeah, definitely! Thanks Matt," she said.

"Listen, I've been thinking, and unless you've changed your mind, I think Graysen Sommer is definitely the way to go," he smiled. It made Elena incredibly happy to know that he'd been thinking about it and that he still wanted to name their baby after her parents.

"Really?!" she gushed. "I've been calling her that in my head all week. I'm so glad you love it!"

"Of course. It's a beautiful name for a beautiful little girl, and I know it would make your parents happy. Plus, I loved your dad. He was always there for me."

"You're incredible, Matt Donovan. Hey, have you seen Stefan around here? I was supposed to be meeting him?" Elena was happy that Matt's face didn't even fall a millimeter when she mentioned Stefan.

"Nope. But if you wanna kill some time while you wait for him I can get somebody in here to make our girl a chocolate banana milkshake," he smiled. Elena sat at a booth with him and they started up conversation.

"So I got up this morning to get ready for school and there's Vicki, all nonchalant in the bathroom like it's no big deal they're hooking up,"she told him.

"Yeah, I'm not gonna lie. Your brother and my sister, that's weird," he said, shaking his head.

"Yeah," Elena sighed. She felt her phone vibrate and she pulled it out of her pocket.

"How late is he?" Matt asked.

"Hitting the hour mark," she huffed. "Our weird friendship is seriously on the rocks right now and he couldn't even bother to show up."

"Friendship?" he asked, with an eyebrow raise.

"We're definitely just friends. If we're even still that. Besides, it's not like I would talk about boy troubles with you."

"Good. It's not like we were ever best friends or anything," he laughed. Matt had a point there. He'd been able to joke with her and make her feel better after she'd been dumped my two different junior high boyfriends.

"Okay, here goes. What do you think of Stefan? Is he a good guy?" she asked. If he wanted any part of her life, she needed Matt to be okay with him being around their daughter.

"Why? What's he done?" he asked.

"Not any one thing. He's just so secretive all the time. I think there's something that he doesn't want me to know which makes me want to know all the more."

"Like what? Like that he's a serial killer and he keeps a clown suit in his trunk?" Matt joked.

"No, of course not. But what do we know about him? Really?" she needed Matt in that moment. Needed him to either validate her fears or tell her that there was nothing to worry about.

"He's great at football, little bit of a loner, and as much as I hate saying it, he might be a nice guy," he replied honestly.

"So you think I'm just being paranoid?" she asked, looking deeply into his eyes.

"I think that you're being a good mom. Go with your instincts," he said.

"Instincts on what?" they both turned around to see Stefan standing there. "I'm so sorry that I'm late."

"What happened?" Elena asked, doubting that he'd even attempt to give a reason.

"I got held up," Oh look, she was right.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

"There was this thing with my uncle," he said vaguely.

"And you couldn't call and tell me that you were gonna be an hour late?"

"Okay, you two have fun," Matt said excusing himself with a slight rub to Elena's stomach.

"I'm really sorry," Stefan apologized again. "It was unavoidable."

"What was unavoidable?" she asked. He was digging himself further into a hole by refusing to answer her questions. "Okay," she said, walking off after he remained silent for too long.

"No, Elena, please-" he reached out to stop her from leaving and she spun around.

"No, Stefan, don't you get it? Every question gets a vague non-answer. What is so awful that you're afraid to tell me?"

"I know you," a voice spoke up from behind her. She turned around to see an elderly man looking pointedly at Stefan. "My God."

Stefan looked utterly confused. "I'm sorry?" he asked.

"I know you," the man insisted again. "How could it be?"

"I think you have the wrong person, sir," Stefan said.

"You haven't aged a day," the man said. Elena turned to look at Stefan and a look of concern flashed across his face.

"I'm sorry, excuse me. Hey, can I take you home and we can talk about it?" he asked, turning to Elena. She followed along after him, picking up her purse and jacket but she was still very confused.

"Wait, what was that?" she asked just before they walked out the door.

"I, I don't know," he said, looking extremely confused. Elena almost believed him until he added "Nothing."

"Right. Nothing. Okay, um I gotta go, Stefan," she walked out of the Grill and to her car and she was very glad to see that he hadn't tried to follow her.

* * *

 _I tried. Again. Over and over again I've tried to make things right. No one can say now that I didn't give it my all. I was persistent and I put myself out there and tried to make new friends, but every instinct in my body is telling me to be careful. What you don't know can hurt you._

She finished writing in her diary and flung herself onto her bed. She pulled up her shirt and rubbed her hand along her belly. The harder she pushed down, the more Graysen rolled. She liked being able to interact with her now. It brought her peace.

"You okay?" Jeremy asked from her bathroom doorway.

"Is Vicki in there?" she sighed back at him.

"Don't answer a question with another question," he chided jokingly. "Maybe. What's wrong with you?" he added with a laugh.

"I'm a little miserable," she said, sitting her teddy bear on top of her belly.

"Well, you should go get something to eat," he suggested with a smile. "I picked up some more chocolate milk on my way home." Elena took back every bad thing she'd ever said and thought about Jeremy over the last few months. He was a great brother.

She made him pull her up off the bed and she walked downstairs, stopping halfway when she heard a clanging in the kitchen. Jenna's date must've gone south really quickly. Especially if it was so bad that she decided to cook. Poisoning her entire family was not a viable rebound option, in Elena's opinion.

"Jenna?" Elena called out. There was no reply so she tried again. She opened the sliding doors to the kitchen and saw Stefan chopping vegetables.

"Stefan? What are you doing here?" she asked, not entirely thrilled to see him.

"Dinner. Jeremy told me that you mentioned craving chicken parmesan last night and I happen to be a good cook. Italian roots demand it. I can even make my own homemade mozzarella, only tonight it is, unfortunately, store bought. Sorry. I just figured you and the baby might not get home cooked meals too often, or at least not often enough. And frankly, it's the least I can do," he said.

"I don't know what you're trying to accomplish," she said.

"You want to know me, right?" he asked. Elena nodded. The amazing smells all around her were weakening her resolve. "I figured if you're gonna cut me out of your life you should at least, um, know who you're cutting out. So let's start with Katherine." She couldn't believe that he'd chosen now, this moment, to finally speak up. Right when she was ready to let him go completely. Though she couldn't deny that she was very curious to finally hear the Katherine story from his point of view.

"Stefan-" she started, but he interrupted.

"She was the most beautiful girl that I had ever met. She had this perfect olive skin. And she had this laugh, it was ridiculous. I mean, her laugh made you laugh. And she was fun. She knew how to have a good time. But… Katherine was also very impatient and entitled and selfish and, um… impulsive. Enter Damon. He claims that he was with her first- I don't know- I do know that I did some things that I'm not proud of. And my biggest regret was not being able to make it right before she died. I miss her, but I'm no longer crippled by her loss," For the first time, Elena really felt like Stefan was being completely honest with her. He was on a roll now. He was telling her everything about himself that he could think of as she helped him in the kitchen as much as she could with her very limited skill set.

"I'm an avid reader. _Huge_ Fitzgerald fan, The Great Gatsby, his masterpiece. But I am no snob, I love some good Grisham. I think Seinfeld is the best American television show for the past 50 years," Elena smiled at that. It was her father's favorite too, "But I Love Lucy is all-time. The loving cup episode was the best, I think. Huuuge Scorcese fan. I can watch Taxi Driver over and over again."

"Here, let me," Elena volunteered to chop the onions and garlic, listening intently to him as he spouted off his random facts.

"As far as music, it's pretty much across the board. Um, Dylan, Hendrix, Patsy, Willie. A little Kanye. You know what, I even like that one Miley song. Easy!" he said when she laughed at that. Elena was truly thrilled to get to see this side of Stefan. Honestly, if he'd been this way from the beginning she could see herself actually attempting a relationship with him. She'd had a crush the first couple of weeks, and she'd always known he was attractive, but this honesty was missing. She liked being able to see it now, but she still couldn't get passed thinking of him as just a friend.

"I didn't say anything," she laughed. "Is this for garlic bread?" She asked as she continued chopping. "I'm so excited for some garlic bread. You have to eat some too, though."

"Are you kidding me? I love garlic," he smiled. She was distracted for a moment and she missed the garlic clove, nicking the tip of her finger. She winced as a few drops of blood came out.

"Are you okay?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah, I think so," she said, going to rinse it off in the sink. She looked up at the window above it and caught a glimpse of Stefan's reflection. He was staring at his hand and his eyes had dark lines underneath them. His face terrified her in that moment and the first word that came to mind was that he looked demonic. She whipped around to look at him closer but he turned away.

"Your face," she said.

"Yeah, I think I got something in my eye," he said, sounding as if he was in pain. He rubbed at his eyes and kept his face turned away from her.

"Stefan?" she asked, trying to turn him around to get a good look at him, but he wouldn't budge. "Hey, Stefan."

After a moment he turned back around to face her and his eyes looked completely normal. They weren't red at all and there was no trace of the dark lines underneath them. She couldn't believe that it had come and gone so fast.

"Um… I think that paranoia mixed with pregnancy has turned into full-blown hallucinations," she said, but even as she said it she still wasn't entirely convinced that it was a hallucination.

* * *

 **AN: We're getting closer to Elena finding out the big secret! How do you think pregnant, over-protective Mama Elena will handle the vampire news?**

 **Please review, it makes me happy!**


	10. 19 weeks, 3 days

**AN:In case you're wondering why it went from 12 chapters to 10 even though I'm posting a new chapter, I did some reformatting to combine chapters and make them longer so that this story doesn't end up with 200 chapters lol. Now instead of averaging around 2,000 words per chapter it's closer to 4,000.**

 **Alright, time for the big reveal! Please let me know what you think!**

"No friend discounts. No freebies. No 'pay you laters.' We are not running a charity here," Caroline instructed as she sat Elena behind a table at the car wash to collect money.

"No, we are not," Elena agreed.

"Hi," Stefan said coming up behind them.

"Hey," Elena replied.

Caroline looked him up and down, taking in his t-shirt and hoodie clad upper half. "The event is called Sexy Suds, you know," she said sassily before turning away.

"Did I just get scolded?" Stefan asked.

"Oh yeah," Elena replied. "She's mentioned _several_ times that the only reason I'm sitting behind this table and all these signs is that 'my rack looks great now that I'm pregnant,'" Stefan laughed and shook his head as he removed his shirt. Elena was wearing a bikini under a large kimono style cover up that displayed her breasts and flowed loosely over her baby bump.

Elena observed as Stefan began washing the car closest to her. "You're getting soap in your ring," she told him.

"Oh, it's fine," he replied nonchalantly.

"I noticed that Damon has one too. Is there a story behind it?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's the family crest from the Italian Renaissance," he said. She got up from the table and walked over to take a closer look. She grabbed his hand and inspected the ring.

"What's the stone?"

"It's called lapis lazuli," he replied. Elena looked closer. It was a very nice ring and she didn't want it to tarnish.

"You should really take it off. I can hold it in the cash box with me, if you want," she offered.

"No, it's fine, really," he insisted, pulling his hand away. He went back to washing the car and she stepped back to the cash table to tell Caroline that they needed more towels.

She thought that Stefan's behavior was a little odd, but she understood the importance of family heirlooms so she tried not to think too much of it.

A few minutes later, the old man from The Grill came up to the table to pay for a car wash. "I saw you last night. You were talking to a friend of mine at The Grill," she reminded him.

"Well, I thought it was somebody I knew," he replied sadly.

"Stefan Salvatore," she said.

"It can't be. Just my mind playing tricks on me," he sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than her.

"Where do you think you'd seen him before?" she asked, trying to help the man connect the pieces of the puzzle.

"When I first moved here I stayed at the Salvatore boarding house. Stefan was just passing through to visit his uncle. I mean, none of us knew he was even here until the attack," he said.

"The attack?" Elena asked.

"His uncle got killed. Mauled by an animal in the woods," he said.

"His uncle? Zach?" as far as she knew, his uncle was alive and well and living with them at the boarding house.

"Mm-mm. Joseph," the man corrected her, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry, sir. I don't think I'm familiar with the story," she said, very confused.

"Well how could you? I mean, this happened years ago," he told her.

"Grandpa, you gotta go. Mama wants you home," one of the cheerleaders that Elena had never really gotten along with, Tiki, said, walking up to the old man. He started to walk away. "He wasn't bugging you, was he?" Tiki asked. "He's a little alzy- heimer."

"Uh, no," Elena said. "He was sweet." She got up to go after him. "Hey, sir, I'm sorry. Um, are you sure that the man that you saw, that you knew, his name was Stefan Salvatore?"

"Yes," he nodded. "I remember his ring. And his brother," he shrugged.

"Damon?" Elena asked.

"Yeah. Stefan and Damon Salvatore," he nodded.

"When was this?" she asked, and suddenly she didn't want to know the answer. She was afraid of the answer.

"It was early June 1953… Yeah. June. 1953," the man seemed sure of his answer.

So there was a Stefan and Damon Salvatore during the Civil War who had lost a woman they both loved in a fire. There was a Stefan and Damon Salvatore in the early 1950s and that Stefan looked exactly like this one and wore his ring. They stayed with their uncle, Joseph, who was mauled by an animal, just like the animal that had been attacking recently. And then there was this Stefan and Damon. Both wore rings, and lived with an uncle, Zach. Both were in love with a girl who died in a fire, and both were endlessly mysterious. Elena couldn't help the feeling she got in her stomach that asked 'What if they're the same person?'

Of course that was insane. Of _course_ it was. But nothing else about Stefan and Damon Salvatore seemed to make much sense either. She had to know what was going on. She needed to find a way to make all of this make sense somehow. She decided to put Stefan to the test.

While he washed a car, she got his attention and he jogged over to come talk to her. "Caroline freed you, huh?" he asked jokingly.

"Uh I don't know where she went. She abandoned me. Hey, earlier I realized that I had no idea your family was from Italy," she knew that it was a lame excuse the moment it came out of her mouth. He told her last night that he was Italian. His last name screamed Italian, for crying out loud.

"No? Last name Salvatore didn't do it for you?" he laughed.

"Right. Duh. Pregnancy brain, I guess. Are there any other Salvatores in Mystic Falls?" she tried to sound nonchalant but she knew she was failing.

"My uncle Zach," he supplied, clearly confused by the interview.

"Where did everyone else go?" she tried to get as much as possible out of him while he was still answering.

"I don't know. Just spread out," he shrugged. "Why?"

"I'm just trying to learn more about you," she laughed awkwardly.

Stefan went back to washing the car, and Elena went off to continue her investigation. She found Aunt Jenna sitting at a picnic table and approached her.

"Your car was done an hour ago," she laughed.

"You're saying that aloud why?" Jenna asked. Elena understood completely when Logan Fell came out from behind a news van.

"Hi, you're Elena, right?" he asked, extending his hand to her. "I think I met you once when you were nine."

"Your emotional maturity level when we were together," Jenna quipped.

"Ouch. Here I thought we were making progress," he said.

"Is he enough in your good graces that I can ask him for a favor?" Elena asked her aunt.

"If I do her a favor can I get back in your good graces?" he followed up.

"Uhhh… a very reluctant 'maybe' to both," Jenna said noncommittally.

"Done. Wait. One condition. Dinner, tonight, your house," Logan countered to Jenna.

"Fine," she agreed. "But you're eating leftovers"

"Ooh. What do you need?" he asked, directing his attention back toward Elena.

"Do you have access to old news stories, say… fifties?" she asked, praying that he would.

"Yeah, at the station. Between the archives and the internet we pretty much have everything." Perfect.

"I have this report- way past due. You'd be a life saver," she lied convincingly.

"I'm heading there now," he told her. "Let's go."

Elena beamed and turned to Jenna. "If anyone asks, you don't know where I went. I don't want Caroline to know that I left," she insisted. In reality, she didn't want Stefan to know that she'd left, and that she was onto him. She glanced at him before sneaking off, making sure that he didn't see her.

At the station, Logan showed Elena how to use the database and left her on her own while he went back to work.

She searched 'Joseph Salvatore + animal attack' and an old video clip came up. She was shocked that the search had actually returned a result. Part of her thought that maybe the event never actually happened. The video was filmed in front of the boarding house and in the background of one of the shots was Stefan, clear as day. The video was black and white and grainy, but there was no mistaking it. She replayed it several times and zoomed in as close as she could. Every feature was the same. It was Stefan, exactly as she knew him today, in the 1950s

 _Dear Diary, I am not a believer. People are born, they grow old, and then they die. That's the world we live in. There's no magic, no mysticism, no immortality. There is nothing that defies rational thought. People are supposed to be who they say they are and not lie or hide their true selves. It's not possible. I'm not a believer. I can't be. But how can I deny what's right in front of me- someone who never grows old, never gets hurt, someone who changes in ways that can't be explained, girls bitten, bodies drained of blood. What kind of world am I bringing my child into?_

Elena slammed her diary down on her night stand and knew that she had to confront Stefan. Tonight.

* * *

She sped to the Salvatore boarding house. She knew that she was driving too fast, but in that moment she had a one-track mind. She needed to hear him say it. She wondered if he would confess easily or if he would persistently deny it. She felt sick to her stomach, worse than any bout of morning sickness she'd encountered. For a brief moment she wondered if he would kill her when she found out that she knew, but she forced it down, telling herself that his feelings for her had to be real and that he wouldn't just kill a pregnant woman.

She wasn't sure what words would come out of her mouth when she finally saw him. She was angry, and afraid, and more than anything… confused. All the signs where there, screaming at her, and yet she still couldn't believe it fully. It was a ridiculous notion- that the supernatural existed. But every part of her body was screaming at her that this was real and it was happening to her. She was even angrier at the thought that he'd continued to pursue her after he discovered that she was pregnant. He was willing to drag her daughter into his life of terror and secrets and lies. It disgusted her to think about what he could do to her child.

She flew into his driveway in record time and flung herself out of her SUV. She headed for the front door with every intention of just barging in to demand answers, but she paused with her hand on the knob. She couldn't do it. She was frozen with fear that maybe he _would_ just kill her. Or maybe this was just a mistake and there was somehow a logical explanation. She turned, considering just getting back in her car and driving far away. Maybe she could just pack up and leave- raise Graysen somewhere where she never had to worry or let these kinds of thoughts run through her mind. But before she could make a decision she heard the door swing open quickly behind her. She spun on her heel and saw Stefan coming out of the door with a large wooden stake in his hand, and suddenly she knew without a doubt that everything she feared was true.

"What are you?" it came out before she even knew she was saying it and even to her own ears her voice sounded horrified.

Stefan stared at her for a long moment without answering, but the look on his face told her everything she needed to know.

" _What_ are you?" she demanded again.

He looked almost heartbroken and he nodded at her slowly. "You know," he said.

"No. I don't," she tried to deny. She was nearly begging him to tell her that she was wrong. There was nothing that she wanted more on this earth than to be wrong.

"Yes, you do. Or you wouldn't be here."

"It's not possible. It can't be," she told him, grasping onto everything she know about the world and holding on for dear life.

Stefan moved to put down the stake in his hand and Elena backed away.

"Everything you know and every belief that you have is about to change," he told her seriously. "Are you ready for that?" No. She wasn't. But she couldn't stop now. Although it would destroy her, she knew that she needed to hear him say it. Just once. She had to hear the words from his mouth.

"What are you?" she asked again fiercely.

"I'm a vampire," he told her. And her world shattered forever. In that instant she felt every moment of her life slipping through her fingers. She no longer knew fiction from reality and her head was spinning. Vampires existed. They were real, and had been her whole life. When her father held her in his arms at night when she was small and told her that the monsters under her bed weren't real, that they didn't exist, he had been wrong. Elena would never be able to soothe her child and tell her that the monsters weren't real. She could never rock her to sleep and promise her that vampires were just make-believe and that they couldn't really get her. She felt the breath sucked out of her as she realized that there was nothing that she could do to protect her daughter from these monsters that she had invited into their lives. Monsters do exist. And Stefan is one of them.

"I shouldn't have come." It was all she could muster up the courage to say.

"No," Stefan whispered in anguish, taking a step towards her. "Please."

"No!" Elena yelled firmly, running towards her car. She had never felt so afraid for her life. Not even in the car, mouthing to her father that she loved him before her vision went black.

Suddenly Stefan was in between her and her SUV. It happened in the blink of an eye, so fast she didn't even see him move. She looked across the yard at the spot she'd last seen him. It was several yards away.

"How did you do that?" she asked, her voice dripping with fear.

"Please don't be afraid of me," Stefan begged, blocking her from getting in the car.

"Let me go," she demanded.

"Elena, there's things that you have to know and understand," he grabbed her and she was frightened. Her whole body trembled.

"LET ME GO!" she screamed, breaking free of his grasp and flinging herself into the driver's seat of her car.

She peeled out of the driveway and sped back to her house, trying to calm her breathing. When she got home, her hands shook as she desperately tried to unlock the front door. She flew up the stairs and into her bathroom to try to pull herself together. She laughed bitterly when she felt Graysen's first real kick. Her life was in shambles and her mind was running a mile a minute, but her daughter demanded her attention. Didn't she know what was happening? Couldn't she understand that her mother couldn't raise her into this life where vampires were real and they looked like cute mysterious boys that could draw you in and suck the blood from your veins until you were dry and dead on the forest floor just outside of a party? For the first time in months Elena was again overwhelmed by the feeling that she could not do this. It wasn't fair and it wasn't right. She was finally happy. She was in a good place with Matt, and her brother was getting better, and she was so happy to be a mother. She wanted her baby. With every fiber of her being, she wanted Graysen to be hers. She loved her more than she'd ever loved anything and she wanted to raise her and watch her grow up and tuck her into bed at night. But above all that, she needed her to be safe.

Elena checked on Jeremy and let out a sigh of relief that he was safe in his room. She went back to hers and flopped down on her bed as she kicked off her shoes. When she felt restless again she paced the room. What would she do? What would she tell Matt? Where could she send her baby that she would be safe? And how could she keep her safe for the next 4 or so months that she was still going to be pregnant?

"Elena," she jumped out of her skin when she heard Stefan's voice behind her. She immediately began to cry. She ran for the door, hoping to get away from him, but he slammed it shut before she could get out. She pushed herself against it, guarding her belly from him as sobs racked her body. She could feel his breath on the back of her neck.

"I would never hurt you," Stefan promised. "I would never hurt your baby. I swear. You're safe with me."

"All those animal attacks? Those people who died?" she demanded as she cried. Clearly they hadn't been safe with him.

"No. That was Damon," he insisted, staring deeply into her eyes.

"Damon?" Damon was a vampire too? It made sense, and now she was even more afraid. Damon was callous and manipulative. He'd hurt Caroline. He'd bitten her.

"Yes. I don't drink human blood! That's not how I choose to survive, but Damon does. I'll explain everything to you, but I _beg_ you, Elena, do not tell anybody," Stefan was nearly begging her to believe him.

"How can you ask me that?" but really, she wondered who would believe her.

"Because you knowing this is dangerous! For so many reasons. You can hate me, but I need you to trust me," he begged.

"Just go," she whispered, her arms shielding her stomach. "Just go. Please. Go. If you mean us no harm then you'll go," she was desperate for him to leave. At this point the stress was overwhelming and she worried that she'd miscarry. She needed him to leave before she had a heart attack.

"I never wanted this," he whispered solemnly as he backed away from her, removing his hand from her bedroom door. She opened it to give herself space and when she turned back around he was gone. She walked quickly to her open window and locked it, though she knew that it could do little to stop him. She laid down on her bed and took several deep breaths to try to calm herself down for the baby's sake. She tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep because her nightmares were keeping her awake.

* * *

 **AN: For the most part, the dialogue in this chapter is the same as in the show, but because Elena's priorities and emotions are changed in this story, the inflection of the words is a little different.**


	11. 19 weeks, 4 days

The next morning, Elena struggled with what to write in her journal. How did she put these terrible feelings into words? She wanted her daughter more than anything, and she didn't know how to convince herself to give her up. Maybe she didn't have to. Just maybe. Maybe if she got some answers out of Stefan he could say just the right thing and assure her that it was okay to keep her baby. If she lost Graysen she would have nothing. In the end she decided to forego school for the day, opting instead to meet with Stefan at the very public Mystic Grill right in the middle of the lunch rush. She was willing to hear him out if it meant she could eventually feel secure enough to keep her child with her.

"You said you would explain everything, that's why I asked you to meet me," she said, her expression stone cold. She'd worn her most form-figured maternity dress to meet with Stefan in the hopes that some shred of humanity would keep him from harming her and her unborn child. "When you Google 'vampire' you get a world of fiction," she knew because at 4 A.M. when she couldn't stand to stare at the ceiling any longer she'd tried to do a little research. "What's the reality?"

"I can tell you whatever you want to know," Stefan assured her. He seemed to be taking this seriously, which made Elena feel only slightly better.

"I know you eat garlic," she said, remembering the other night when he made her dinner.

"Yes," he agreed.

"And, somehow, sunlight's not an issue?" she asked quizzically.

After a brief interruption from their waitress, he replied, "We have rings that protect us," he flashed her his huge 'Italian Renaissance family heirloom' ring.

"Crucifixes?" she asked.

"Decorative," he responded simply.

"Holy water?"

"Drinkable," that one worried her a little. She wondered if anything could hurt him.

"Mirrors?"

"Myth."

"You said you don't kill to survive," she reminded him.

"Animal blood keeps me alive, but not as strong as Damon. He can be very powerful," he warned. Elena had become increasingly fearful of Damon. Of course they'd had their moments, maybe even more so than she'd had with Stefan, but she could sense that he was very dangerous. Now she had proof that he'd killed.

"But you let him get involved with Caroline?" she accused.

"Forcing Damon not to do something is much more dangerous. Believe me," Stefan replied.

"He was _hurting_ her."

"He was feeding on her," Stefan corrected. "He was able to take away her memories of being bitten using a form of mind compulsion. She never knew it was happening to her. If he wanted to kill her, he would have." Both his tone and his words disgusted Elena. Caroline was a person- her friend. She was beautiful and young and ambitious and Damon had taken her and forced her to do his bidding and erased her mind when he was done with her. She couldn't bear to think of that happening to her daughter and she was sure that Sheriff Forbes would be horrified to know that it was happening to Caroline.

"That doesn't make it okay!"

"No, no, none of this is okay, Elena," he agreed. "I know that." The look on his face had her almost believing him. She didn't know what to think.

"Stefan, I'm afraid," she said honestly. "If it was just about me, I probably wouldn't even tell you, but it's not. I have a _daughter_ , Stefan. And now… I don't know how I can keep her with me now that I know what I know." Tears slipped silently down her cheeks. "I was finally in a good place. I was happy, and I wanted this. I want her so badly. I have never felt a love like this or such a deep-rooted need for a person to exist, but I _need_ her. And now I'm afraid that because of this I'll lose her."

Tears welled up in Stefan's eyes and he reached for her hands. She waited a brief second before she pulled away. She longed to be comforted, but not by a vampire. "Elena, I will never let anything happen to her. And honestly, I don't really believe that Damon would hurt her either. I will do anything to protect you so that you and your daughter can have the life you deserve, Elena. I never meant for this to happen. I never meant to make you question giving your baby away."

"Are there others? Apart from you and Damon?" she needed to know. She assumed there had to be more vampires somewhere.

"Not in Mystic Falls. Not anymore," he replied.

"Not anymore?" she asked, looking for clarification.

"There was a time when this town was very much aware of vampires. It didn't end well for anybody. That's why it's important that you don't tell anyone," he pleaded.

"I can't promise that," she said honestly. She needed to talk to Matt.

"Elena. Give me today. I will answer any questions that you have, help you with any doubts you have about raising your baby, and when it's over you can decide for yourself what you want to do with what you know," Stefan implored. "It will be your choice," he promised. After a moment she nodded reluctantly.

* * *

Most of the car ride to Stefan's mystery location was spent in silence. He gave her directions every once in a while and they ended up near the outskirts of town.

"Stop here," he said when she neared a pile of bricks near some overgrown trees. She did as he said but was very reluctant to get out of the car.

"What are we doing here?" she asked.

"I want to show you something," he said simply, walking further away from the car.

"In the middle of nowhere?" She felt the imminent fear creeping up again.

"This… didn't used to be nowhere," he said sadly. "Used to be my home."

Elena finally got out of the car and took a look around them. It certainly wasn't a home anymore. It looked like ruins. There were dilapidated piles of brick and marble scattered through dense trees wrapped in vine. It was spooky.

"It looks so…"

"Old?" Stefan finished the thought for her. "It's because they are."

"Wait, how long have you…" she didn't know quite how to phrase the question and it frightened her to think about it.

Stefan turned to face her and his face went serious. "I've been seventeen years old since 1864," he told her. Elena's heart hit the floor. She hadn't expected him to have been around for so long. He was older than her grandparents and great-grandparents. All of the history that he was so interested in, he had been a part of.

"Oh my God," were the only words she could force out of her mouth.

"You said you wanted to know," he reminded her. "I'm not gonna hold anything back." In that moment she was grateful for his honesty.

"A half-century before the boarding house was even built, this was my family's home. Damon and I… we were both born here. The Salvatore brothers, best friends," Elena found it hard to imagine a time that the two of them didn't hate each other. "I remember the day he taught me to play football when the game was first invented. Well, I say taught. He just kind of threw the ball at me and took off running. I asked him to tell me the rules, but he was too excited. Then comes, Katherine, saying 'who needs rules?' Very typical of her. She stole the ball from us ran away with it. I was too shocked to chase after her at first, so Damon did."

Elena was floored. She hadn't expected Katherine to enter the story so soon. "You knew Katherine in 1864? Damon made it seem like…"

"Damon was trying to make you think that I was still heartbroken. He thought that you and I were going to be a couple and he wanted to ruin it," Stefan explained.

"All because you loved the same woman a hundred and… forty five years ago?" Elena asked, doing the quick math in her head.

Stefan smiled sadly and shook his head. "She wasn't just any girl. She had the both of us tripping over our own feet to do anything and everything she asked of us. Damon even chose not to return to the war because he wanted more time with her. The first time I really noticed how deep into it we both were was when she mentioned needing an escort to a town event. We both jumped at the chance and she chose me. I escorted her to the ball at the original Lockwood mansion."

"The first Founder's party?" Elena asked, stunned. She was enthralled by his story. "You signed the registry." She thought back to the story Damon had told her about 'the original Salvatore brothers' and the woman they loved who had died in the church. Stefan continued, unaware of her thoughts.

"I didn't care that I'd gotten something that my brother wanted. I didn't even care if it hurt him. I only knew that I wanted her," she didn't know what it felt like to be so consumed with desire for another person.

"So he was upset," she said lamely.

"That's the thing about Damon. He doesn't get mad. He just gets even. What Damon wants, Damon usually gets. And I didn't know it at the time, but turns out that night… Katherine was with him too," he looked dejected, as if it still bothered him to this day.

"So he stole her from you? Not the other way around?" she asked, looking for clarification.

"Turns out she wasn't ours to steal. I told her I was in love with her, and in return, she bit me. I woke up the next morning confused and covered in blood. I was afraid. I wanted her to stay away, but she compelled me to keep the relationship going. She made it to where I had no choice but to stay by her side and not tell anyone. She controlled my mind and Damon's and she compelled each of us to keep the secret from the other. She wanted all of us to be together. Forever."

If Elena was being honest, she thought that Katherine was a perfect example of a scary, psychotic vampire.

"Didn't work out that way," Stefan continued as he pulled a small cloth from under a log. "But Damon and I… looks like we're stuck with each other. Like it or not."

"Is that Damon's ring?" Elena asked when she saw what Stefan had picked up.

He nodded. "I took it from him. I have to give it back."

"No! Don't, Stefan! Keep it hidden," she couldn't have Damon out on the loose. He was a monster, she understood that now.

"Elena, if I don't give it to him, he'll retaliate, and I don't want him going after someone close to you just to try to get to me. I don't think he'd hurt you, because deep down I believe that just maybe he cares for you, but he wouldn't extend that free pass to your brother or Jenna or Matt." In that moment, Elena realized she couldn't handle Graysen growing up without Matt. She couldn't take her away from him, and she certainly wouldn't let Damon take him from her.

As they got back in her car to leave, Elena stopped him. "The mind control you said Katherine used, did you ever do that to me?" she needed to know that her decisions were her own and that she still had her free will to do what was right.

"No," he pointed to the pendant on her neck that he'd given her at the football game, "That necklace contains an herb called vervain. It protects you from being compelled. I wanted to protect you from Damon's influence… but I also wanted to protect you from me." In that one short moment, she found herself trusting his words. "Elena, you should never take that necklace off because no matter what happens after today, no matter how you feel about me, you'll know that you were free to make your own choice." He was giving her the chance that he'd never gotten, the chance to walk away. She felt free to make her own decision. She could run away, avoid him for as long as she lived, and forget that vampires were anything more than just a scary story if that was what she chose. But for one short moment, she felt that he might could actually protect her.

* * *

When they arrived back at Elena's house, she was surprised to see Matt's truck in her driveway. They walked inside and heard him yelling at his sister in the kitchen.

"What's going on?" Elena asked. The last thing she needed right now was human drama.

"She's really messed up," Matt replied. Vicki was crying and looking around the room in fear.

"Elena, back up," Stefan said as he walked towards Vicki to try to calm her down. "Look at me. Focus. You're gonna be fine. Everything's gonna be fine," he whispered gently. Vicki's breathing instantly went back to normal and Elena wondered if he'd used his mind compulsion on her.

Stefan told Matt and Jeremy to take Vicki upstairs and put her to bed. Once they left the room, he turned back to Elena with his jaw set. She knew something was off.

"You know what's wrong with her?" she accused.

"Yeah," he said shortly.

"What is it?"

"She's transitioning." The words were simple but she felt like there was a whole world of meaning behind them.

"Transitioning into what?" she asked, though in her heart she knew the answer before his lips parted to tell her. Not human drama. More vampire drama.

"A vampire," he nodded.

Elena felt the overwhelming desire to cry again. Graysen's aunt was going to be the thing that she was currently most afraid of. "What?" she whimpered, unable to believe what was happening.

"Damon must've gotten to her. She's new. She hasn't completed her transformation yet," he explained.

"How does she do that?" Elena asked, hoping that there was a way to stop the process.

Stefan paused for a while before giving her an answer, as if afraid that it would set her off. "She has to feed on human blood."

"And what if she doesn't?"

"She'll die. She may only have a few hours," Stefan said.

So basically, the options were to either let Vicki, Matt's only real family, wither away and die, or for her child to have a vampire for an aunt.

"She's upstairs with them right now," she breathed shakily. What if Vicki killed Matt or Jeremy? She wouldn't be able to live with that pain.

"It's okay. She doesn't know what's happening to her yet," Stefan assured her. It didn't make her feel any better.

"So when is she gonna know?" she asked.

"Right now she doesn't remember anything. A part of her is still human. Slowly, the deeper she gets into the transition, memories will start to come back. And then she'll know she has to make the choice." Elena paced through the kitchen with her head in her hands.

Suddenly, she realized what Stefan was saying. To complete the transformation, he had to have chosen to drink human blood. He'd told her before that he didn't do that. She was shocked and furious. "The same choice you made?" she asked coldly. He made no move to deny it and she couldn't stand to look at him any longer.

Elena made her way to the dining room to start cleaning when she heard Matt yelling Vicki's name in the foyer as she ran out of the house. They all went to the front door and looked around, but Vicki was nowhere to be seen.

"She was fine and then she just freaked out!" Jeremy explained. He looked afraid and Elena's heart broke for him.

"I'm gonna go look for her! Call me if you hear anything," Matt shouted as he ran for his truck. This was the first time that Elena had seen him where he made no move to acknowledge Graysen. Right now he was only worried about his sister and Elena wasn't sure what he would do if he knew how his sister's new development would impact the life of his child.

"I can track her," Stefan whispered to her.

"Go!" she commanded instantly. What was he waiting for? It's not like she had any particular desire to be around him right now.

* * *

The sun had set nearly an hour ago and there was still no word from Stefan or Matt. Elena and Jeremy were cleaning the kitchen in a failed attempt to take their minds off of it.

"Maybe we should check in with Matt," Jeremy suggested.

"He'll call when he finds her," she huffed. She hoped that Matt wouldn't be the one to find Vicki. She needed him and their daughter needed him and she didn't want him to become the last piece of Vicki's transformation.

"Well what are we supposed to do?" Jeremy asked. He was antsy and impatient waiting for news.

"We wait. We're supposed to wait."

"I don't know what's wrong with her," he said sadly. She hated the helpless look in his eyes.

"She'll be fine. We'll all be fine," she reassured him, though she knew that they wouldn't. And Vicki Donovan would never be the same, no matter the outcome.

The doorbell rang and she ran for it, hoping for some kind of news. Jeremy followed her, clearly thinking the same thing. She opened the door but tried to slam it closed quickly when she saw that it was Damon standing on her front porch.

Damon shoved his hand against the door and opened it easily despite Elena pressing her full weight against it. She was powerless to stop him. "Jeremy, go upstairs," she commanded roughly. He reluctantly backed away.

Damon stood in the doorway with a smug grin on his face. "You're afraid of me," he observed. He sounded curious. "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess. Stefan finally fessed up."

Elena felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She knew that all this stress wasn't good for the baby, and if she wasn't scared before, she definitely was now. She clutched at her belly and groaned in pain. "Stay away from me!" she warned.

"Elena, I'm not going to hurt you. You need to calm down," he said gently. "I'm just looking for Stefan. May I come in?"

Elena didn't answer, she just sunk to the floor and sobbed, holding onto her stomach. Damon stepped across the threshold and got on the floor next to her. "She's fine, for now. Good, strong heartbeat; but you have to breathe. I know you're afraid, but I'm not going to kill you. If anyone's hurting Graysen right now, it's you. You need to slow down." She was enraged, but she knew that he was right about that. She took deep breaths to try to calm herself down.

"Now where's Stefan?" he asked again.

"He's out looking for Vicki," she spat.

"Don't look at me with those judgy little eyes. That girl's gonna thank me for what I did to her."

"Did you thank Katherine?" she countered. He paused and she could tell she'd struck a nerve. He stepped away from her.

"You got the whole life story, huh?" he asked.

"I got enough."

"Oh I doubt that," he said bitterly, and she was sure there had to be another big piece missing. Instead of filling her in, Damon walked back to the front door. "No one's going to hurt you or your daughter, Elena. I can promise you that. Tell my brother I'm looking for him."

After he left, Elena sat on her front porch to get some air and wait for news about Vicki. The porch swing had always calmed her down when she was younger and she was hoping it'd have the same effect tonight. First thing in the morning she was going to call Dr. Tynes to make sure that Graysen was okay. Elena had never before felt this kind of weight on her shoulders. Sure, Damon claimed that he wouldn't hurt them, but how could he be trusted? And what would happen to Matt if Vicki died, or worse, became a vampire and fed on him? She knew that she couldn't let her child grow up in a house with an uncontrollable monster with a thirst for blood.

Footsteps on her front walkway alerted her to Stefan's presence. She looked up and saw that his blue button-down shirt was soaked with blood. "You're bleeding!" she gasped, running to his side.

"No, it's okay. I'm okay," he insisted. He gabbed Elena's hand and looked into her eyes and she knew that he hadn't come with good news. "I couldn't stop her. I tried," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"What does that mean?" she asked desperately.

"She fed. And I lost her."

"Oh my God," there was a new, formerly drug-addicted vampire on the loose. One who lived with Matt and dated her brother.

"I'll take care of it," Stefan promised. "I'll find her and I'll show her that she can live like I do. I won't let her hurt anybody, Elena. I promise."

"What do I tell my brother? How do I tell Matt that we have to give our baby away because his sister could…" she wasn't able to finish the sentence through her sobs.

"I won't let her hurt any of you. You don't have to give up your baby. We'll get her out of town and come up with a story-"

"You mean come up with a lie," she interrupted.

"I'm so sorry," he said sincerely. It was all his fault. Her whole life had come crashing down in an instant because Stefan ran into her outside the men's restroom on the first day of school and he just had to be a vampire. Because of him, she would probably have to give up her daughter, get her as far away from Mystic Falls as possible. Because of Damon, Vicki was a vampire. But still, parts of her understood that this was never his intention.

"I understand that you would never do anything to hurt me. I even kind of believe Damon when he says that he won't. And I promise, I will keep your secret, I'll figure out something else to tell Matt. But I need you to stay out of my life. I'm sorry, but I just can't take the risk of having you near me."

She quickly walked back inside and shut the door soundly behind her. Once in the comfort of her home, she collapsed on the floor and cried for hours, holding her stomach securely.

* * *

 **AN: There it is! Tell me what you think pretty please! Also, I've officially chosen Graysen's birthday! Any guesses?**

 **Also, if you guys have any note or suggestions, I'm all ears. Anything from who's with her when she goes into labor (though I've already got an idea of my own) to how much the baby will weigh.**


	12. 20 weeks, 1 day

**AN: If anybody has any ideas on how I can improve the summary to get more readers, please shoot me a message!**

* * *

For days Elena avoided having contact with Matt. She knew that if they found Vicki, Jeremy would tell her. She wasn't even sure if she wanted them to find her. On the third day, Stefan texted her saying 'we got her' and she hadn't replied.

After she went for an emergency check up with Dr. Tynes, Elena was relieved to find out that there was nothing wrong with Graysen. Well, physically there was nothing wrong with her. But emotionally, she was being born into a world where vampires existed and her aunt was one of them.

On the fourth day, Elena had come up with just enough of a lame excuse to try to talk to Matt about why they needed to consider putting Graysen up for adoption. She texted him to ask if he could come over and he immediately said yes.

It was Sunday afternoon and her brother was locked up in his room and Jenna was out studying with some friends. Elena's hands shook as she opened the door to let Matt in. He looked like he hadn't slept in four days and she hated that she was about to bring even more stress to his life.

"Hey," he said, shuffling awkwardly.

"Hey. Would you like to come in and sit down?" she gestured towards the living room couch and he nodded, following her. She took a seat next to him and they were silent for a while because she didn't know what to say or where to begin. She'd tried to plan a speech in her head, but she just didn't know how she could make him want this when it wasn't even something that she wanted.

"Matt, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. And worrying…" she paused and Matt brought his eyes up to try to meet hers, but Elena stared down at her hands on her belly.

"About Graysi?" he asked, and Elena's heart melted at the name.

"Yeah," she sighed. "I'm scared, Matt. I'm not so sure that what we're doing is the right thing for her. I mean, are we being selfish here?"

"Woah, Elena, what are you talking about?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"It's just… I've been doing a _lot_ of thinking, and maybe we were too hasty when we decided that we should raise her. I'm not so sure that it's the best thing-"

"What brought this on? Is this about Vicki?" he interrupted. He sounded panicked and a little bit angry. She couldn't blame him, she was angry too.

"No. Yes… I don't know," she sighed. "There are just so many things in this world that we can't protect her from."

"I know that, Elena. I do. But what I also know is that you are one of the strongest women I have ever known. I know that you love her fiercely and passionately, and I know that I do too. There are going to be things in this world that we can't protect her from, and yes, that's the biggest fear that I've had about this whole thing. But I also know that the way I feel… I can't give her up. I can do this. _We_ can do this, Elena. I don't necessarily believe in a lot of things, but I believe that this was meant to happen. I was put on this earth to be her father and to raise her and to love her unconditionally. With Vicki gone right now, she's all I've got left, and I cannot lose her too. I won't. So we'll do whatever you want. We'll come up with plans. Talk things through. I can do anything you want to make you see that she needs to stay with us. But I won't let her go. Graysen is _our_ daughter, Elena. And she will always be." With the combination of Matt's words and Graysen's soft kicks inside her womb, Elena was swiftly brought to tears. She collapsed onto Matt, clinging onto him for dear life. She sobbed into his strong shoulders.

"But what if something happens to her? What if she gets hurt or someone takes her or something else terrible happens?" she asked, taking huge gulps if breath between her cries.

"Hey, that's not going to happen," he said, gently pulling her hair away from her face and wiping her tears. "We can protect her. Nothing's going to take her away from us. You can do this. You were meant to be her mom, Lena. And you'll be perfect at it. And neither one of us will ever let anything happen to her."

She let her crying run its course and when she was done she wiped at her face with a tissue. To Matt, this outburst must seem ridiculous. He didn't understand the danger of vampires. But Elena couldn't help but believe him when he promised to keep their daughter safe. She knew that she needed to talk to Stefan again and have his reassurance that her family would be safe.

* * *

"I know that I said that I wanted you out of my life, but that's not good enough. I need your protection. I need you to promise me that Graysen won't get sucked into this. I want her kept safe from Damon, and Vicki, and even you. I need you to get this situation under control," Elena told Stefan firmly.

"Believe me," Stefan said, "There is nothing I won't do for you and your daughter. Whatever it takes. I never meant to make you think that you couldn't raise her. You can do this, I promise."

Elena was afraid to be too hopeful, but after her talks with Matt, and her Aunt Jenna, and now Stefan, she was slowly starting to believe that this could work.

"We've been keeping Vicki at the boarding house. We've got her on blood bags and I'm trying to ease her into animal blood. I won't let her out of my sight until I'm absolutely sure that she can handle being around people without hurting them. You have my word. I'll just spend the next few months showing you that everything's okay and you'll be safe. When she gets here, you'll see. I will do anything to make sure that she stays with you," Stefan said.

For the first time in days, Elena allowed herself to feel hopeful, and she wasn't sure if she felt even better or slightly worse when later that night she received a text from an unknown number

 _Graysen Gilbert will always be safe with you._

* * *

 **AN: Who's the unknown number? You get one guess.**

 **This chapter is super short, but it's just another one of those little things that happened in between episodes. Let me know what you think!**


	13. 24 weeks

**AN: I tried to wait more than 2 days before updating, but I'm just not capable of that self-control right now.**

 **Thank you SO SO much to everyone who has reviewed. You are my heart and soul and I will treasure you always. I wish that I could build you a mansion but I probably can't. I also wish that I could make Ian Somerhalder look directly into your eyes, but he won't listen to me. So instead I'll just say thanks. I know, that's useless, but it's all I've got.**

* * *

 _Dear Diary, It's been a month since I found out about Stefan and Damon. It's been a month since Vicki turned into a vampire and went 'missing.' Matt and Jeremy haven't heard from her since then, and they've started to organize a search party, but I know she's at the Salvatore boarding house. Stefan is trying to teach her to feed solely on animals, but I don't think it's going to work. I fear the worst. Not for myself and my child, but for Vicki. I know that Stefan and Damon will protect me, but I'm afraid of how far they'll have to go to do it. I'm going over to their house right now to talk to them and try to come with some sort of game plan._

When the door to the boarding house swung open, Elena wasn't exactly thrilled to see Damon standing in front of her. She knew he didn't have any intentions of harming her, but she didn't approve of his other extra-curriculars, like killing her history teacher or turning her baby's aunt into a vampire.

"Is Stefan here?" she asked.

"Yep."

"Where is he?" she asked, getting straight to the point.

"And good morning to you, little Miss I'm-On-A-Mission," Damon smirked, leaning against the open door.

"Damon, seriously, I'm not in the mood to play your games. I'm here to talk about Vicki," she replied.

"He's upstairs, and I'm leaving," he said, walking past her and out the front door. She'd planned on speaking with him too, but she wasn't all that disappointed that he'd left.

"Stefan?" she called up the stairs.

"Yes?" he asked from the upper level.

"Where is Vicki?" she asked seriously.

Stefan motioned for her to be quiet and then pointed up. "She's upstairs," he whispered, walking down to meet her in the foyer.

"What happens now? Because my brother is out there searching for her with the rest of the town. What do I tell him?" she asked frantically.

"I'm working with her, but it's gonna take time. She has a very volatile and impulsive personality. She's a drug user, and all of that's going to play a part in how she responds to this." That didn't sound optimistic.

"So she's a vampire with issues?" Elena asked sarcastically. Literally the last thing she needed was for a drug-addict turned vampire/blood-addict around her baby. They needed to get this solved in the next 3 months or so before the baby arrived. "What am I supposed to do? Because I am lying to everyone that I care about. What's gonna happen to her?"

"I'm gonna keep her here with me until I know that she is safe," Stefan promised.

"How long is that?" Vicki called from somewhere on the second floor. She appeared in the stairway moments later.

"We can talk about that later," Stefan said, sounding not unlike a father placing punishment on a child.

"Hey, Vicki, how are you?" Elena asked timidly. She hadn't seen Vicki in the last month either, because Stefan had been too afraid that she could get hurt.

"How am I? You're kidding, right?" Vicki asked, sounding like a petulant teenager.

"Well why don't you come down here? I can teach you a few things, Elena can see how it's going, and we can come up with a plan for getting you back into the real world," Stefan suggested. Reluctantly, Vicki followed him and Elena into the dining room.

"Coffee is our friend," Stefan said, after placing a fresh cup in front of her, "it's the caffeine. It circulates through our veins and warms our bodies so we're not so cold to the touch." Elena couldn't believe that there were so many tricks that vampires could use to appear human. It was unnerving to say the least.

"Well what if I wanna drink human blood?" Vicki asked, rolling her eyes.

"You're gonna have to learn to live with that urge and fight it on a daily basis. One day at a time," Stefan told her.

Vicki groaned. "Oh God, don't start with that whole 12 steps thing. School counselor has been down that road and it doesn't work for me.

"It can work. It's your choice," he insisted.

"So you've never tasted human blood?" Vicki challenged.

Stefan paused for a long time before responding. "Not in a long time."

"How long?" Vicki prodded. She had a point. A long time was different for vampires. Had it been decades? Years? Since Elena had gotten pregnant?

"Years and years," Stefan sighed. Elena wasn't sure if that helped narrow it down much. "I'm not proud of my past behavior." Elena wondered if perhaps Stefan had been like Damon once and she couldn't help but think that maybe someday Damon could turn it around. She'd seen the way he acted when they were alone and she knew there had to be good in him.

Elena stopped listening as Vicki continued to bitch about the whole situation.

"I'm gonna get her some more uh…" Stefan trailed off after Vicki had left to use the bathroom. Elena nodded and wandered alone around the large dining room until Vicki huffed back in. When she picked up her phone, Elena got worried.

"Who are you calling?" she asked.

"Jeremy," Vicki replied simply.

"Vicki, you can't see Jeremy anymore," Elena told her. She'd admitted several times that she was seriously craving human blood. How could she think that Elena would just let her around him?

"Oh come on, don't you start. I'm gonna see whoever I wanna see."

"Even though you could hurt him?" Elena tried to reason with her, but she was angry.

"I would never hurt Jeremy," Vicki insisted, as if it were obvious.

"I know you think that, but I can't take that risk," Elena told her. "You're gonna have to let Jeremy go now."

"Oh really? And how long have you been preparing the whole 'you're not good enough' speech? I'm assuming it predates the whole vampire thing," Vicki spat.

"All I'm saying is Jeremy is not getting involved in any of this. I mean it Vicki," the girl's attitude was really getting on Elena's nerves, but more than anything, it just frightened her.

"Or what?" Vicki asked. Suddenly, her hand was on Elena's throat, pushing her against the nearest wall. Immediately she went into a panic. "Let's get one thing straight, you pregnant bitch. You had my brother whipped for fifteen years, and then you dumped him; and now you think you're gonna have his kid and you just get to call all the shots? When I look at you, all I see is a scheming slut. Just so you know. And I'm gonna see Jeremy whenever I wanna see Jeremy because I have some fun new toys to play with and unfortunately for you, I never thought that Matty having a kid in high school was best for him. You got it?" she threatened, finally letting go. Her grip had been firm, but not tight enough to cause damage. Elena was more concerned about her words as she gasped for breath.

* * *

"She threatened me and the baby," Elena cried to Stefan when he got back from his quick hunt.

"I don't think she'll act on it. Like you said, she wasn't actually trying to choke you. She just wanted to get your attention. Every part of her body is on high alert. She's uncomfortable in her own skin right now, and when you add in her other issues, she's just really on edge. We can get her under control," Stefan said, trying to calm her down.

"How long was it before you learned to control it?" Elena asked him, trying to get an ETA.

"A while," he said in a way that made it sound like an extremely long time. "But I didn't have anyone to help me. The thing is, it's hard to resist certain people, especially when you're new. It's difficult to separate your feelings. Love, lust, anger, desire, it can all blur into one urge: hunger."

"What does that mean?" Elena asked, fearing the worst.

"It means that Jeremy can't see her. Not now. She might not be able to resist him and she could hurt him."

"Or worse," she cried. There was no way she could let her little brother end up a victim of another 'animal attack.'

"I'm not gonna let anybody get hurt," Stefan insisted.

"I need to get going," she said. She needed to clear her head.

"Elena-" he tried to stop her.

"Please, Stefan, there's only so much I can take," with that she took off, trying to get home to make sure Jeremy would be safe.

* * *

That night, Elena still hadn't heard from Stefan or Damon. She walked into the kitchen, planning on eating an entire jar of olives, gone were the chocolate cravings of the second trimester, when she heard Jeremy on the phone, seemingly leaving a voice message for Vicki.

"Hey. So, um, do you wanna hang out tonight? We could kick back and watch some scary movies or we could even go to the Halloween thing at school. Could be fun," she suggested, trying to get his mind off of his crazy vampire girlfriend.

"Sure," he sighed. "The school thing doesn't sound too bad. Can't wait," he headed to the stairs.

"Wait," Elena stopped him. "I know you're upset about Vicki. I heard she called Matt. But you can't be with her. She needs to get better. The best thing you can do for her is let her go."

"What does that even mean? 'Let her go?' Oh, okay, sure. Since we're such experts on letting people go, right?" Jeremy laughed bitterly.

"I know you may not see it, but trust me Jer, it's for the best," she replied solemnly. Jeremy stepped closer to her.

"For months after Mom and Dad died I felt like crap. Like nothing really even mattered crap. Now all the sudden I get these moments and things started to feel just a little bit better and Vicki was in every single one of them. So you may not see it, but trust me, keeping me away from her is not for the best," with that he walked away and back up to his room. Elena wished that she could make him see how dangerous Vicki was. She wished that he could understand, but at the same time she hoped he never had to find out.

* * *

Two hours later, Elena and Jeremy were arriving at the school for the Halloween party. She'd searched Pinterest for do-able costumes and settled for a cat with a ball of yarn. She wore all black with a pair of cat ears and had taped yarn over her belly. It was simple, but cute and it did the trick.

She gave Jeremy a quick whap on the shoulder when he scared some little kids. He was a trouble maker, as usual. He'd chosen to forego the costume and wore just a hoodie and jeans. The first person Elena found at the school was Matt who was dressed as a doctor covered in blood, which had been their couples costumes the previous year. Elena would've worn it again but it certainly didn't fit her anymore.

"I see you went with last year's costume," she laughed.

"Yeah I didn't know I was coming until an hour ago," he replied, shaking his head.

"Me either," she said.

"That's a cute ball of yarn you've got there," he smiled before turning to Jeremy. "And you're going as… you?" Jeremy rolled his eyes and walked away, leaving Elena feeling embarrassed by his attitude.

"He's not talking to me right now. We got into a fight," she explained to Matt.

"Yeah, I got into it with Vick too when she got home," Elena was floored to hear that Vicki had gone home. Stefan specifically told her that he wouldn't let her out. "I try not to smother her but part of me didn't want to let her out of my sight."

"She's here!?" Elena couldn't believe that this was happening. She needed to tell Stefan and Damon.

"Yeah. You can't miss her, she's a vampire," Matt laughed. Elena was too distraught to appreciate Vicki's sense of irony.

"Where did Jeremy go?" she asked. She was starting to hyperventilate and the fear was taking her over.

"Elena, what's the matter?" Matt asked.

"I've got to find him," she said, taking off into the school. She looked around for Jeremy and texted Stefan to tell him what was happening. She decided that it couldn't hurt to text Damon too. She'd gotten a text from an unknown number about a month ago and had realized it was him. Stefan texted her back immediately telling her that he was already at the school and looking for her. After a few more minutes she still hadn't found Jeremy but her phone buzzed with a text from Damon.

 **Damon** _I'm almost there._

She wasn't sure if Stefan told him about Vicki threatening her, but she wanted to drive the point home that she was afraid so she sent Damon another text.

 **Elena** _She threatened my baby, Damon. And now she's with my brother._

This time he texted back immediately.

 **Damon** _Nothing is going to hurt your baby._

Elena could tell that it wasn't just a nonchalant response, but a promise. It soothed her and made her even more worried at the same time and she wondered how that was possible.

As she searched the halls, Stefan finally walked up to her, holding a firm grip on Vicki's arm.

"Thank God," Elena breathed.

"What's the matter?" Stefan asked.

"I lost track of Jeremy. I was worried," she said, sending a pointed look to Vicki.

Matt rounded the corner behind Elena and saw the way Stefan was holding onto his sister. "What's going on?" he asked apprehensively.

"Hey, uh, everything's fine," Stefan said, brushing it off, but Vicki began to struggle against his grip.

"I told you to quit bothering me!" she yelled at Stefan. At first Elena was confused, but she quickly realized that it was just a trick to get Matt to keep Stefan away from her.

"No, Vicki, don't do this," Elena tried to reason with her.

"Matt, he won't leave me alone," she said, giving her brother big puppy dog eyes.

"You need to back off, man," Matt barked, stepping up to Stefan.

"Matt, it's okay," Elena said, placing a hand to his chest.

"No, it's not okay," he yelled. "What the hell is your problem?"

Elena watched as Vicki took that moment to whoosh away with her vampire speed. Perfect.

"Stefan, she's gone!" she took off in the direction Vicki had gone and Stefan followed shortly after.

Elena grew more irritated and panicked by the second as she searched the halls for any sign of Vicki or Jeremy. When she couldn't find them anywhere inside, she moved to the outside. She got to the bus holding area and grabbed a plank of wood from a nearby bin when she hear her brother scream.

She found Vicki holding Jeremy against a bus and she screamed. "Vicki, no!"

It distracted her enough that she left Jeremy and went after Elena instead. Elena quickly brought the wooden plank against Vicki's face but it did little to slow her down. Instead, it made her angrier and she picked her up and threw her across the way. Elena was about to fall into a dumpster full of wood scraps when she felt a pair of strong arms wrapped around her. She turned to see that it was Damon. Vicki charged for her again, but Stefan came from out of nowhere, pinning her against a bus. They struggled for a moment but Vicki eventually pushed him off and disappeared underneath one of the buses.

"Vicki!" Jeremy yelled, clearly confused and worried. Elena hated that he had to see this.

Stefan searched for her, but saw nothing. "Go, get inside!" he yelled. Damon let Elena go and she grabbed Jeremy's hand as they ran to get in the building. Stefan and Damon searched under the buses for any sign of Vicki.

Just as Elena opened the door to go inside, Vicki grabbed her and went for her neck. Just as the fangs began to pierce her neck, before she could even scream, a sharp piece of wood came all the way through Vicki's chest. She pulled away from Elena and looked down to find the makeshift stake covered in blood. It was Damon, looking fierce and wild, as he held the long piece of wood in his hand.

"Vicki!" Jeremy screamed again, and she couldn't believe that her brother had just witnessed this. She couldn't even believe that she'd witnessed it. Before her eyes, Vicki's skin began to turn gray and veiny. Jeremy screamed for her again, but Stefan restrained him. Damon stared down at Vicki's body as she slumped into a heap on the pavement and he moved to make sure that Elena was okay.

"You're fine. The baby's fine. Heartbeat as strong as ever," he assured her, and she nodded.

Jeremy was distraught and couldn't take his eyes off of Vicki's body. "Get him out of here," Elena commanded. Stefan took Jeremy back inside and Elena moved to sit next to Vicki's body. Matt's sister was dead. For good this time.

"You should go. I got this," Damon whispered to her gently.

"You did this," she cried, glaring at him.

"I know," he replied softly, sending her a sad smile. Elena was overcome with emotion and she didn't know what to feel or think or do so she brought her hands to his chest and hit him repeatedly and he let her. When she was done with her attack, she leaned against him and sobbed into his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair for a short moment.

"You should go. I'll take care of this," he repeated into her ear. She nodded against him and went back to the front of the school to try to find Jeremy and Stefan.

"Elena!" she heard Matt yell from behind her. She couldn't believe she had to see him so soon after she watched his sister die. She was still shaken up. "Are you okay?" he asked when he saw her. She was sure she looked like she'd been crying.

"Yeah, just hormones or something. I'm gonna go home," she shrugged it off, trying to leave.

"I can't find Vicki," he called, making her stop in her tracks. "She totally bailed on me."

"I don't know where she is," Elena looked in his eyes, praying that it was believable.

"Is this what I'm in for? A lifetime of worrying about her? I'm worried about her being around Graysen. I'm not even so sure I want her around her at this point," he shook his head angrily. Elena knew that one day, when he realized Vicki was dead, that he would regret these words. But for now she would let him find comfort in it.

"You're a good brother, Matt. And you're going to be the perfect dad," she told him sincerely.

"Thanks… maybe she went home," he sighed.

"Maybe."

Matt walked away and she couldn't stop the tears that pooled into her eyes again as she walked towards her SUV. When she sat down in the car and the doors were closed and locked she let the sobs rack her body as she slammed her fists against the steering wheel.

She never wanted Vicki to die. She never wanted her to be a vampire in the first place. But more than she mourned Vicki's death, she mourned for Matt and Jeremy. They lost someone that they loved immensely, and Jeremy had watched it happen. Jeremy knew now. And it wasn't fair. He'd lost the one person who made him feel better after their parents had died.

* * *

When she got home, Stefan was on the front porch waiting for her.

"Where is he?" she demanded.

"Inside." She nodded, and walked inside, closing the door behind her. She went up the stairs quickly and found Jeremy sitting on his bed with his knees pulled up to his chest. He looked so small and young in that moment and it broke her heart to see the dried tears on his cheeks. She sat in front of him on the bed and placed her hand on his arms.

"Do you understand what happened tonight?" she asked him seriously.

"No. I don't understand. I mean I know what I saw, but I don't understand," he cried softly.

"She was going to kill me," Elena told him.

"Now she's dead. Vicki's dead."

"I'm so sorry, Jer," she tried to wrap her arms around him but he stopped her and shook his head as new, fresh waves of tears came down.

"Make it stop, it hurts," he said, and Elena wanted nothing more than to make it stop. She would do anything she could to take his pain and his heartbreak away. She found herself praying that her child would never have to know this kind of pain.

"Shh, it's okay," she shushed him.

"Why does everybody have to die on me?" he asked sincerely through his tears. She wrapped her arms around her little brother and held him close. He cried into her hair and she sat with him until he let her go.

When he'd cried all his tears and fell back into his bed, Elena went back outside to talk to Stefan.

"Are you okay?" she asked him.

"I uh, I wanted to help her," he sighed. "But instead…" he trailed off, tears welling in his eyes. "How's he doing?"

"He's a mess. I don't want him going through this again. He's just a kid," she cried.

"Elena, what can I do?" he asked. "What can I do to help? I'll do anything."

"Can you make him forget?" she asked curiously. Damon had been able to make Caroline forget everything, so it stood to reason that they may be able to take away Jeremy's memories of the night.

Stefan shook his head. "Stefan, please! I don't know how he'll ever get past this. I just want him to forget everything that happened," she begged.

"If I did it there's no guarantee that it would work. Because of who I am, because of how I live. I don't have the ability to do it right," he told her softly.

"I can do it," came the cocky reply from behind her. She knew without looking that it was Damon. "If this is what you want, I'll do it."

He walked nearer to them, and Elena wanted to be angry at him. She wanted to tell him again and again that it was all his fault in the first place, but then she remembered how he'd held her and taken responsibility, and she felt herself soften even though she knew she shouldn't. This man was dangerous. He was a monster and a killer, but he had a soft spot for her.

"It's what I want," she nodded to him, knowing that she couldn't turn his offer down.

"What do you want him to know?" he asked.

"I want you to tell him that Vicki left town and she's not coming back. That he shouldn't look for her or worry about her. That he's gonna miss her, but he knows it's for the best," she told him, trying her hardest to keep her voice steady. Damon nodded and his eyes lingered on hers for a moment before he entered the house.

Stefan sat down on the porch swing and she took a seat next to him. "Part of me wishes that I could forget too," she told him. "Forget meeting you, finding out what you are, and everything that's happened since."

"If that's what you want," Stefan replied, and it shocked her a little.

"Ignorance is bliss. Because I don't want it to be like this. I don't want to _feel_ like this. But I can't forget," she said, and Damon walked back out onto the porch before she got the rest of the words out. "I need you. Because this _is_ real," she finished, with her eyes on Damon.

"It's done," he told her gently.

She nodded and walked inside, closing the door to both of the vampires.

* * *

 **AN: How do you type out "dramatic camera pan onto Damon doing the eye thing?" Because I need some sort of cue for that. I hope you guys see what I saw in my head during that "I need you" line. It's like she was talking to Stefan, then just looking ahead and as soon as she turns to see Damon she says "I need you." It's all very foreshadow-y.**

 **Please review. It keeps me sane.**


	14. 24 weeks, 5 days

**AN: Like I said, I have no self control and so you get updates pretty much every other day. Eventually it'll probably slow down, but so far I've still got a few chapters stockpiled.**

 **Thank you everyone for your reviews and support. It means the world to me! Without it this story would just be sitting around in my head only halfway thought out and thoroughly bugging the crap out of me.**

* * *

Elena had just finished giving her statement, her very _false_ statement, to Sheriff Forbes. She hated the lying. It was eating her alive. Every time she looked at Matt and Jeremy all she could think was that Vicki would never come back and they would never know why. It was entirely too much for her to be around the Salvatores right now. They brought death and danger, and she was afraid. But they also brought her protection and security. If they hadn't been on her side when Vicki attacked, both she and her baby would be dead.

She sat on her living room couch pulling at a fringed blanket and absentmindedly filling her mouth with olives while deep in thought. After a moment, Jenna plopped down next to her with a heavy sigh. "You're wallowing."

"So are you," Elena said pitifully.

"My wallow is legitimate. I was dumped," Jenna huffed.

"Yeah, well, Logan's a jerk," Elena told her.

"And all I get is a brush-off email saying 'I'm leaving town. See ya.'"

"Wanna keep it down over there?" Jeremy yelled from the kitchen.

"Why? What are you doing?" Jenna asked, turning to face him.

"Homework," he replied. Elena whipped her head around to see for herself. Jeremy didn't do homework. Not anymore.

"Since when do you do homework?" she asked.

"I gotta finish this. I'm way behind and I have a quiz tomorrow so…" he trailed off.

Elena addressed her aunt, "What do you think? Alien?"

"Some sort of replicant," Jenna replied, her voice filled with wonder.

What exactly had Damon's compulsion done?

"He can hear you," Jeremy replied with a sarcastic smile.

She'd told Damon to take away his suffering about Vicki, not to turn him into an entirely different person. To her knowledge, Jeremy hadn't cracked a single book since the accident.

Thinking about the accident and her brother and the whole situation that he'd been compelled to forget in the first place sent Elena deeper into her wallowing. She pried herself off of the couch and opted for a warm, relaxing bubble bath.

Looking at her belly now made her smile. She'd just measured herself at about 37 inches around and she was now almost 25 weeks pregnant. The cocoa butter from Jenna had worked wonders, and instead of being self-conscious about her body, she felt great. She was growing a human being, and it was easy to tell. In the last few days she'd noticed a lot of shortness of breath. Simple tasks around school and home made her extremely tired. After school, instead of going out to The Grill with her friends she usually just opted to sit in bed. It made it easier to mope around, anyway, since no one asked her why she was so sad.

Once the tub was full she stepped in and got comfortable. The warm water was doing wonders for her tired and achy body and Graysen seemed to love it too. The top two things that provoked a reaction out of her were warm water and Elena's singing. She didn't have a stellar voice, but she could carry a tune well enough, so she usually obliged her daughter. When she sloshed a little water over the top of her belly she got a small, gentle kick in response and it made her smile for the first time all day. She needed more. She sang old Disney songs to her belly, and soon she saw a nearly clear foot print sticking through her skin. It was the most amazing thing she'd ever witnessed. She giggled and stroked the skin over the foot as she picked up her phone with her other hand to take a video. She texted it to Matt, Caroline, Bonnie, and Aunt Jenna. Caroline sent back and endless string of happy emojis, Jenna demanded to see it in person later, Matt was moved almost to tears, and Bonnie gushed, asking if she could come over. She sort of wanted to wallow alone, but she couldn't deny her friend. Especially since she hadn't seen her outside of school yet this week.

Once Elena finished relaxing in the bath, she threw on some sweats and got in bed and waited for Bonnie.

"You up?" Bonnie asked as she swung the bedroom door open, knocking softly.

"No," Elena said, pulling her comforter up over her face. Bonnie was there in an instant, pulling the covers away from her head. "No," Elena repeated as she tried to wrestle them back,

"Why haven't you been returning my calls this week?" she asked. She was clearly concerned.

"I'm sorry," Elena sighed.

"Are you gonna stay in there forever?"

"Yep," Elena replied simply. Unfortunately for her, Bonnie didn't understand what was going on to make her so anti-social. So she blamed it on the baby and felt a little guilty. "I just feel so overwhelmed. And my back hurts and I'm tired and I'm approaching whale status and I've still got 3 months to go."

"Move over," Bonnie said, climbing under the covers with her. "It's gonna be okay, Elena. I can't imagine how difficult this is, but it's all going to turn out okay. We are all here for you. And we love you and Graysen. And I can't wait to throw you a baby shower and spoil the two of you absolutely rotten because you deserve it. I know I've been kind of MIA when you needed me the most. I suck."

Elena giggled. "Nah, you're the best. But if you wanna make it up to me you can help me get my mind off of it." This quickly brought a smile to Bonnie's face.

"Just remember you asked for it," she warned sweetly. Elena watched with curiosity as Bonnie stood up and closed the window and then ripped open one of her feather pillows.

"Hey!" she protested.

"Be patient," Bonnie said, dumping the feathers all over the bed.

"Okay?" Elena agreed reluctantly.

"I need to swear you to secrecy," Bonnie said, sitting at the foot of the bed so that the feathers were in between the two of them.

"It's kind of a bad week for that kind of stuff," Elena mumbled.

"No, swear because I'm not supposed to be showing anyone this," Bonnie insisted.

"Okay, I swear," she resigned.

"Okay, there's no windows open, right?" Bonnie checked.

"Right."

"There's no fan? No air conditioning?"

"None," Elena agreed, wondering what the point of this was. "What are you doing?"

"Grams just showed me this. You're gonna love it. Are you ready?" Bonnie smiled.

Elena nodded and Bonnie placed her hand above a single feather and it slowly floated up to follow her movements.

"Bonnie, what's going on?" she asked. If this had happened a few weeks ago, Elena wouldn't have taken it seriously. But now that she knew the things that could happen in this world, she finally believed. Bonnie had been right all along. She used both hands now, and more feathers lifted off of the bed to meet her fingertips. It was graceful and beautiful and so very different from the horrors Elena had seen over the weekend. She sat in awe when Bonnie let the feathers drop back to the bed, and suddenly, without even lifting a finger, several handfuls of the feathers were floating in the air all around them. They danced around in circles and Elena stood up on the bed, trying to reach for them.

"It's true, Elena. Everything my grams told me. It's impossible, but it's true. I'm a witch." Bonnie no longer looked afraid or concerned, but elated. Elena couldn't help but be happy and proud for her best friend. What she'd been given was a gift. She knew that this power was meant to be used for good.

"I believe you," she smiled, and the two of them laughed together.

After they'd come down from the thrill of it, Bonnie spoke again. "It's weird, huh? After all this time joking about being psychic I really am a witch." They both laughed again at the word. Bonnie, whom Elena had known since elementary school, was a witch. Elena was thrilled knowing that Bonnie was at least involved in this whole supernatural world with her, even if she didn't know about vampires yet. It made Elena feel more connected. "You don't think I'm a freak now, do you?" Bonnie asked worriedly.

"No, of course not! Bonnie, I just, I don't understand though. If your grams asked you to keep all this a secret then why did you tell me?" she asked.

"You're my best friend. I can't keep secrets from you," Bonnie replied, as if it were obvious, and Elena felt that familiar sinking feeling in her chest again. Here Bonnie was, showing her her biggest secret, one that she promised her grandmother she wouldn't tell anyone, and Elena was practically lying to her face. She reasoned that Stefan being a vampire wasn't her secret to tell, but still. She was hiding this whole supernatural world away.

* * *

Elena decided that it was finally time to see Stefan. She needed to talk to him about Bonnie and figure out what it meant now that she was somehow connected to both vampires and witches. She rang the doorbell and was surprised to hear a female voice call to her from within.

"It's open, come in!"

Elena followed the instruction and walked inside, looking around either for Stefan or for the girl who answered. When she turned to the left, a beautiful blonde woman wrapped only in a plush brown towel was walking towards her.

"Oh my God," the girl said, stopping in her tracks when she saw Elena. The stranger's eyes shifted from her face to her rounded belly and back again. "How, uh… uh? Who?" the girl stuttered.

"I'm Elena," she responded, utterly confused by the situation. The girl looked almost like she'd seen a ghost, but Elena was fairly sure that she should be more shocked considering there was a mostly-naked girl in the boarding house. Maybe this girl was shocked by underage pregnancy, but then again she seemed pretty nonchalant walking around a house of boys in only a towel.

"Lexi," she replied, a sudden look of realization crossing her features. "A friend of Stefan's." Elena had really expected her to be a conquest of Damon's, so this surprised her.

"Oh, is he here?" she asked, trying to ignore the awkwardness of the situation.

"Um he's in the shower," Lexi gestured upstairs. Well, they weren't showering together, so that was something. Though she didn't think Stefan was really the type to pick up girls and bring them home. "Do you wanna wait?"

"No, that's okay. Could you just tell him I came by?" she asked.

"Of course," the blonde smiled.

* * *

Later that night, Elena was home alone and a knock on the door signaled that it was finally time for her to get off of the couch. She wasn't surprised to find Stefan standing there, though he hadn't texted her since her run-in with Lexi.

"Hey, Lexi said that you came by and you seemed upset. Is everything okay?" he asked, concern etching his features.

"Oh yeah, the girl in the towel," she joked.

"Towel?" he asked. "Oh! No. It's not like that. No. She's not exactly a girl. Lexi's um… she's 350 years old," he laughed. Elena hadn't even thought that the girl might be a vampire too.

"You mean she's a," she didn't finish the sentence, knowing that he understood.

"Yeah. She's my oldest friend," he smiled.

"She kept staring at me. It was weird," Elena said, voicing her concern from earlier.

"I don't know, I guess I talked about you a lot. Told her she had some short-term best friend competition," Stefan laughed. Elena supposed she could've felt insulted by his use of the word short-term, but she understood what he meant by it. Really, what was a ninety or so year lifespan to a vampire? "So why'd you come by?"

"Actually, I shouldn't have come by in the first place," she sighed. It wasn't right to betray Bonnie's secret while keeping Stefan's. "I'm keeping all these secrets and I can't even tell my best friend. Do you know how hard that is?" he nodded solemnly. "It's like I need to talk to someone but the only person I can talk to is you."

"Elena, you can come to me about anything. I will always be here for you," he insisted.

"Thank you for coming by," she told him as she nodded. He started to walk away but stopped himself.

"Hey, do you need a ride to The Grill tonight?" Oh right, she'd almost forgotten about Caroline's party, not that she planned on going.

"Are you going to Caroline's party?" she asked him, she was surprised that he would go.

"Lexi's dragging me," he laughed. "And… it's my birthday." Elena felt bad that she hadn't known. Then again, they'd never mentioned it.

"Really? Wow! Happy birthday then," she smiled. "Actually, I think I'm gonna stay in tonight. I've got this really cool new symptom: extreme fatigue. Coupled with back aches, it's a real killer. You go have fun though," she told him.

"Okay," he smiled sadly, resigned to leave her home. "Have a good night."

Elena closed the door behind him and went back to her wallowing. She wasn't really tired anymore. She'd just woken up from a blissful nap, and her back was hardly hurting. She tried not to feel bad that she was skipping out on Stefan's birthday and just enjoy a movie, but in the end her guilt got the best of her and she threw on some real clothes and went to The Grill.

When she arrived, she spotted Stefan and Lexi playing pool and it made her smile to see him interact with someone he knew so well. She wondered how many other vampire friends he had and she found herself wondering if Damon had any. Speak of the devil, he appeared in front of her, glancing first towards the two at the pool table and then back in her direction.

"Stefan smiles. Alert the media," he joked.

"Well, you haven't given him a lot of reasons to be happy lately," she sassed back at him. She chided herself for feeling guilty for being rude. Yes, he'd comforted her the night he killed Vicki, and he'd compelled Jeremy like she asked him to, but he was still vicious.

"You're right. Poor Stefan. Persecuted throughout eternity by his depraved brother," he said sarcastically. "Does it get tiring? Being so righteous?" she was surprised by the way he was speaking to her tonight. Usually he was more tender with her than he was with others, but tonight he was matching her snark. She wondered if there was something going on with him.

"It flares up in the presence of psychopaths," she said, but couldn't help the subtle smile that formed on her lips.

"Ouch, well consider this psychopath's feelings hurt," he replied, laying his hand over his heart.

"What did you do to my brother?" she asked suddenly.

"I'm gonna need a less vague question."

"When you did whatever you did to Jeremy's memory of Vicki. What else did you do to him?" she clarified.

"You asked me to take away his memory of the fangs and the raghr," he growled, "And all the bad stuff. You wanted me to take away his suffering," he said simply. But that didn't explain the way he'd been acting.

"But he's just so different. He seems okay with everything. A little _too_ okay. He's studying, he's not doing drugs, he's not drinking. Are you sure you didn't do something else?" She wouldn't put it past Damon to compel Jeremy into behaving better, and it would be kind of sweet if it weren't so wrong.

"Elena, I took away the suffering," he said again, and then he left her.

If nothing else, Jeremy's GPA would thank Damon and so she decided to let it go unless he started acting even stranger.

Elena walked around The Grill, trying to mingle while she was out and about for the first time all week. She was glad to see Matt there.

"Hey," he called out to her, offering a soft smile.

"Hey, your daughter won't sit still. It's wearing me out," she sighed happily, taking a seat across from him.

"Mind if I feel?" he asked.

"Oh, sure. She's right here," she said, gesturing to the top left of her belly. Matt ran his hand over it softly and Graysen offered him a gentle kick. "Just about 100 days until she's here. I'm kind of freaking out. You and I should talk soon about all the practical stuff like what we're gonna do with her while we're at school and things like that."

"Yeah, for sure. Just tell me when's a good time for you," he nodded.

"I will. I'm just exhausted all the time right now. Creating a human is hard work even though I feel like I'm not doing anything," she laughed.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could do more to help," he said apologetically.

"No, Matt, you're doing great. I really appreciate you," she told him sincerely.

After they finished talking, she went to the bar to get a glass of water when she came face to face with Stefan's friend.

"Ah, the famous Elena," the blonde girl said, holding two tequila shots in her hand.

"Towel girl," Elena addressed her jokingly.

"I've been called worse," Lexi laughed, downing one of the shots.

"I didn't know you guys could drink," Elena observed. She'd never really thought about it and didn't know exactly what the vampire anatomy permitted.

"Oh yeah. Helps curb the cravings. But makes for a lot of lushy vamps," Lexi told her.

Elena laughed. "You know, I've never seen Stefan drunk. He always seems so…" she trailed off, not knowing the right word for Stefan.

"Uptight?" the blonde supplied.

"Yeah!" Elena said. It wasn't exactly the word she would've chosen, but it certainly applied. "But not with you."

"Well, that's the benefit of knowing someone for over 100 years. You can just be yourself," she smiled.

"Yeah, he isn't himself with me," she sighed. Even with his secret out, Stefan was still incredibly guarded around her. She couldn't say she blamed him for that though, considering there were many other things she _was_ blaming him for.

"Not yet, maybe, but the first step was him telling you. That's huge. He never tells people that he cares about. The rest is just gonna come with time. I know he plans on staying here for a while and keeping you safe from all the creepy crawlies of our species," Lexi told her.

"Yeah, I've got my own mini vampire army guarding over me. It's… unnerving, but I do feel safe with them."

"Them? You mean you've got Damon in on this too? I didn't think he was physically capable of caring about anyone but himself," she said nonchalantly. Elena was once again surprised that she seemed to be the only one to ever see Damon's good side. It was small, of course, but it was definitely there.

"Damon's… complicated. He's a bad guy in every sense of the word, but sometimes I get the feeling that he acts that way mostly because it's what other people expect from him. Like every time someone catches him not acting like a monster he has to go out and do something terrible just to prove that he is," Elena explained.

"Trust me, he's always been that way. The second that you think he has a redeeming quality he has to destroy any evidence of it," Lexi replied and Elena wondered if she was thinking of a specific example. She threw back the second shot, which Elena assumed was originally intended for Stefan, "Stefan's a great guy, though. And don't tell him I told you, but I think he's definitely into you."

"Yeah… I liked him at first, but now I don't know. I'm scared," Elena told her truthfully.

"But you're here. The love of my life was human, but with us it was just so real. He made me feel like maybe love could conquer all. When it's real you can't walk away," she said, turning to head back to Stefan at the pool table.

"Hey Lexi! It was really nice meeting you," Elena called after her. The blonde sent her a wink in reply.

A while later while Lexi was at the bar for round two, Elena decided to say hello to the birthday boy himself.

"You came!" he smiled.

"Well I couldn't miss your hundred and whatever birthday," she laughed, rolling her eyes.

"One hundred and sixty two, if my math's right," he nodded. Elena wondered what it must be like to have 162 years' worth of memories. She wondered if his time with her would mean anything in the grand scheme of things; if he would ever think of her when he was 1,162. That was entirely too many years to live, and to her it sounded miserable. She couldn't imagine outliving everyone she ever cared about. Her children and grandchildren and even her great-great-great-great grandchildren. She'd rather have Stefan and Damon forget all about her in a few hundred years than spend eternity as one of them.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw Sheriff Forbes marching in with two deputies in line behind her. The sheriff went straight for the bar where Damon and Lexi were sitting together. They must have injected Lexi with vervain or something because she went limp and the deputies carried her out.

"Oh my God," Stefan said, moving to follow them.

"What is it?" Elena was extremely confused. She followed Stefan, hoping that they could talk to the sheriff, but police officers were blocking the exit. Stefan turned around and ran for the back door instead.

When they were outside they heard gunshots. As they neared the edge of the building they saw Lexi approaching the sheriff and just as she got close, Damon came in from the side and staked her in the heart. Elena gasped audibly and Stefan covered her mouth with his hand, pulling her back behind the building.

"Oh my God," he whispered as he peeked his head around. Damon twisted the stake further into Lexi's heart and Elena felt her knees go weak as the blonde fell to the ground. She was dead. Stefan's best friend for over 100 years, and Damon had killed her. They watched as Damon spoke to the sheriff and then loaded Lexi's gray body into the trunk of a cruiser. When it was over and Stefan's shock had worn off, he stormed away without a word. Elena knew that it was dangerous for him to be alone in his state of mind so she followed after him.

"Stefan," she called, grabbing for his hand. He spun around on his heel to face her.

"He killed her. He killed Zach, he killed Tanner, he turned and then killed Vicki. I have to kill him," he said, and the look in his eyes told her that he was very serious.

"No, you can't do that!" she told him.

"Why are you trying to save him, Elena?" he asked angrily. "He's never gonna change! Don't you see that? He's never gonna change!" At this point she was inclined to believe him, despite everything she'd said to Lexi before. Lexi, the woman Damon had just killed.

"I'm not trying to save him, I'm trying to save you! You have no idea what this will do to you. Please, Stefan!" she defended.

"Everywhere that I go, pain and death follow. Damon follows me. No more," he insisted.

"Stefan, please. Please just talk to me. Let me be here for you. Talk to me," she begged in whispers.

"No. You were right to stay away from us," he said, turning his back on her and leaving.

Despite the fatigue she'd complained about all day, Elena didn't get any sleep that night. She worried about Stefan and what would happen to him if he went up against Damon. For a moment, she even found herself worrying about Damon. Once again, she'd developed a soft spot for him, and once again, he took things to the next level to prove that he would never be more than a monster.

* * *

 **AN:I didn't want to move too fast or change Damon too much, so unfortunately Lexi still had to my mind there are fixed points in time and specific scenes and events that I will write to to make sure that they happen even though the situations have changed.**

 **Please review! If there's anything that you would like to see happen in this story, let me know and I'll see if I can incorporate it somehow. Also, if you have any questions, comments, or critiques definitely feel free to send them my way!**


	15. 26 weeks 5 days

**AN: Here's another quick little chapter in between episodes. Since there was nearly a 3 week gap I thought I'd show a little bit of what's happening behind the scenes to prepare for baby Grays.**

* * *

"So, I've been doing some thinking," Jenna addressed her niece and nephew over their dinner- delivery pizza.

"Uh oh," Jeremy laughed.

"Alright, smart guy," Jenna rolled her eyes. "Anyway, we've got a baby coming in a few months and there's a lot of kinks we have to work through. Not the least of which is where she's going to sleep. Elena's room isn't big enough, so we need some ideas. There are four bedrooms in this house, and while I know that we've kept your parents' bedroom the same until now, it's not exactly practical anymore. I need the two of you to tell me what we should do."

Elena paused. She had sentimental attachment to the master bedroom, but not as much as Jeremy, who'd slept with their parents until he was six. She didn't want to speak for him when she knew it was a sensitive issue. Jeremy sighed, knowing that all eyes were on him.

"It's okay. Do whatever you need to do. I understand," he said sincerely. That went much smoother than Elena or Jenna had predicted.

"Jenna, why don't you take it?" Elena offered, looking to Jeremy for a nod of approval, which he gave.

"Well, I had sort of an idea, but it would require a little more compromise on Jeremy's part," she said, approaching the topic delicately.

"Let's hear it," he said.

"Since your room is connected to Elena's by the bathroom I wondered if it would be a good idea for you to switch rooms. You could either take the master or you could have my room if you didn't want it. That way Elena can be a little closer to the baby to keep an eye on her," Jenna suggested. Elena was amazed that she'd never thought of it before. It was a great solution as long as Jeremy didn't mind.

"I could have Mom and Dad's room?" He asked almost shyly.

"If you want it," Jenna agreed.

"Yeah, that's cool. I'd like that. Let's do it," he smiled.

* * *

Over Thanksgiving break, Jeremy emptied out his bedroom and moved down the hall into their parents' room. Most of their things were sent to the lake house, but Jeremy did keep a few things of theirs, and Elena kept their large dresser because she thought it would make a perfect changing table. She was sad that she wasn't as close to her brother anymore and she couldn't check on him just by swinging open his bathroom door, but it made her more excited for Graysen to come. She only had a couple of months left, so she would have to start getting the new nursery ready soon.

For Thanksgiving, Matt came over and they had a small turkey and some sides that they'd ordered in advance from a local restaurant since none of them had any particular kitchen skills. For the most part, they were content to sit back and watch the Macy's parade and the football games.

"What are we going to do with her when I have to go back to school?" Elena asked, worriedly. "I won't be able to take more than a few weeks off and she'll be here in February so it'll be a few months before summer break."

"What about Mrs. Pam?" Matt suggested. Mrs. Pam had babysat Elena, Jeremy, Matt, Vicki, and Caroline on weekdays when they were younger. She was a wonderful woman, probably in her late fifties now, and Elena felt like she could trust her.

"That's a great idea. I'll call her this weekend and see if she'll have room for one more starting in March," Elena smiled.

"Great. One down, a hundred more issues to go. What's next?" Matt asked.

"This is a disgusting word, and I hate the sound of it, but what are we going to do about custody?" Elena asked with a grimace. She knew they needed to talk about these things before Graysen arrived, but they were sensitive subjects.

"I don't want her bouncing around from house to house. As much as I'd love to have her come stay the night at my place, you've got a good thing going here and I respect it. Until she's older and we decide we want to rework some things, you can keep her nights. Unless you want a night to yourself, in which case I'm totally game for dad duty," he said honestly.

"Of course you can see her whenever you want. Just come over here, or when she starts staying with a babysitter just call or text me and let me know if you wanna pick her up and hang out with her. I don't want to keep her from you. Ever," she told him.

"I know that, Lena," he smiled. "What else? I know there's more on your list." Elena held a spiral notebook in her lap. It was filled with topics to discuss with Matt, questions to ask her doctor at her next appointment, and lists of things she'd need for the baby.

"I've been kind of trying to avoid this one, but I thought I'd ask. I don't mean to upset you or offend you, I just wanted to ask about her last name," Elena said shyly.

"You want it to be Gilbert." Matt phrased it as a statement rather than a question, and to Elena's relief he didn't look angry or hurt.

"I just think that Graysen Gilbert sounds prettier than Graysen Donovan. It's nothing personal against you, I promise. But the Gilberts are a founding family and it's a really big bonus in this town to have that last name. If it bothers you at all then I'll never mention it again and she'll have your last name. I just wanted to see what you thought," she rambled.

"Elena, it's okay. I understand where you're coming from. Besides, it's not like my deadbeat dad's last name really means much to me anyway. Your family, they're amazing people, and I'm proud just being her dad. She doesn't need to carry around my family drama on her name. It's cool with me," he said sincerely. Elena started to tear up immediately and she held onto Matt for dear life. She wasn't sure how she'd gotten so lucky.

"This Thanksgiving I'm thankful that you're her father. You're such a blessing, Matt."

"And I'm thankful for you and our precious little girl," he smiled.

She wiped her tears and grabbed her laptop.

"Up next: baby registry."

* * *

At 4 AM on the dot, Bonnie knocked on the front door. They'd never gone Black Friday shopping so early, but then again Elena had never been pregnant before. She and Jenna had both gone to bed around 8 to prepare, but they were still incredibly tired when the time came. They decided to make the drive to Richmond to take advantage of as many sales and deals as possible.

"I'm splurging this one time and I am getting a huge cup of coffee. And if either of you has something to say about it, then _you_ can carry this baby," Elena grumbled as she got into the front seat of Jenna's car.

"No argument from me," Bonnie said quickly. The mood swings were setting in and this wasn't one of Elena's finer moments.

"Starbucks it is," Jenna said as she pulled out of the driveway.

"Alright, so what's the game plan here? What are we getting?" Bonnie asked as Jenna pulled onto the interstate after they'd all gotten Venti lattes.

"Buying the big necessities for sure. Keep receipts for everything just in case somebody gets you the same thing at the baby shower. Baby clothes are gonna be at the biggest discount today, so buy all sizes, not just newborn," Jenna said.

"Yeah, that's a good plan," Elena said, sipping her first coffee in months. She savored it, knowing that she probably wouldn't get it again until Graysen was born. "Speaking of baby shower, when is that gonna be?"

"We decided on the first Saturday in January. It's the second. Does that work for you?" Bonnie asked.

"Sounds like a plan. Matt and I registered last night so that's all set if you want to put it on the invitations," Elena replied.

"Yeah, I'll make sure to invite all the rich founding family moms," Bonnie said laughing.

"Baby Gap and Gymboree are supposed to be 50% everything and Carter's is 60, so I should be able to get plenty of clothes. This is insane. I haven't bought one single thing for her yet. Our house is about to go from no baby stuff to being absolutely covered in it," she smiled.

* * *

As promised, the Gilbert home turned into baby central over the weekend. Jeremy painted the walls of his old bedroom a golden tan color on Friday, and he and Matt spent the better part of Saturday assembling the crib while Elena, Bonnie, and Jenna filled the closet with all of Graysen's new clothes and accessories. For the most part, the shopping had gone without a hitch until Elena found a few items at Baby's-r-us that she didn't recognize and she cried because her mom couldn't be there to tell her what to do. Fortunately, an older woman who was there with her daughter helped her calm down and gave her advice on what to buy.

"Once this thing is set up, where's it going?" Jeremy asked, gesturing towards the nearly finished crib.

"Between the windows where your bed was. I want to be able to see her if both bathroom doors are open, which they usually will be. I really like having her in this room. Thanks again, Jer," she replied as she looped her arms around her brother in a small hug.

In just two days, the nursery was already coming together and Elena couldn't believe how great it felt to finally have a space just for Graysen.

Despite all of the craziness, everything was working out and she was truly thrilled and excited to be a mother.

* * *

 **Alright, so there's a baby chapter! Let me know what you think, do you guys like these little rando chapters or would you rather me just stick in mentions of this stuff with other episode-based chapters?**


	16. 27 weeks, 2 days

**AN:** **I HAVE NO SELF CONTROL, SO HERE IS A 5,000 WORD CHAPTER LIKE 24 HOURS LATER. THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS THEY MAKE MY HEART SMILE.**

 **I apologize in advance if the timing of weeks-pregnant and everything is off in this chapter and the next. The timeline I was basing this off of said that this episode occurred the first Monday after Thanksgiving break, but they got the date of Thanksgiving wrong and I didn't notice it until after it was written. So please forgive/ignore it if the timing seems awkward.I'll try to double-check dates better in the future!**

* * *

"Why are you so pissed at Bonnie anyway?" Elena asked Caroline as they walked to the school entrance together. The two of them had hardly spoken in weeks except to plan Elena's baby shower.

"Because she's a thief, that's why! I gave her my necklace and she refuses to give it back. It's a matter of principle," Caroline stated simply.

"Alright, well I tried. I'm officially out of it. As long as the two of you can get through my baby shower next month you can duke it out amongst yourselves," Elena sighed. She hated that they were fighting, but it wasn't about her so there was nothing she could really do to help.

"It'll be perfect," the blonde assured her before changing the topic. "Have you talked to Stefan lately?"

"No, not for a while. He's avoiding me," she huffed. She'd tried to call him over Thanksgiving break to see how he was doing, but she only got his voicemail.

"Why?" Caroline asked. The answer was that he hadn't spoken to Elena directly in weeks other than a quick text a couple of days after his birthday to tell her that he wasn't going to kill Damon but he had him locked up.

But Elena wasn't going to tell Caroline that, so she settled for "It's complicated. See you later."

She got to history class and was very unsurprised to see that Stefan didn't show up to school. However, she was concerned to see Bonnie walk in looking extremely uneasy just as the bell was ringing. Over the break, the school had managed to finally procure a full-time history teacher who introduced himself as Alaric Saltzman. Elena couldn't imagine giving her baby a name like that.

She turned to Bonnie and mouthed 'Are you okay?' Bonnie just gave a sad shrug and Elena was even more worried. Saturday she had been completely fine and now she just looked like someone ran over her dog. And she didn't even have a dog.

At lunch, she got the full story. Bonnie had a horrible nightmare about her ancestor Emily, original owner of the ugly necklace, and had woken up outside the remains of Fell's Church.

"Do you believe in ghosts?" Bonnie asked seriously.

"Two weeks ago I'd say no, but now…" Elena trailed off. She wasn't sure what she believed in anymore.

"I think I'm being haunted," Bonnie said in anguish.

"I don't get it, why Emily?" Elena asked.

"Grams said she was a powerful witch back in the Civil War days and that this medallion was hers. A witch's talisman," Bonnie explained.

"And it all started when you got the necklace," Elena clarified.

"I think she's using it to communicate with me."

"Okay, what does Grams say about it?" Elena asked.

"I can't call her. She's gonna tell me to embrace it. I don't want to embrace it. I want it to stop," Bonnie said, and Elena could see that she was truly afraid. It was understandable. All of the crazy supernatural things that were going on in Mystic Falls were scary and difficult to explain. She wished that she could tell her friend just how much she understood, but she had promised Stefan that she wouldn't tell anyone and she wasn't sure how Bonnie would react.

After school, Elena was headed to the parking lot when she spotted Stefan sitting atop a picnic table waiting for her.

"You weren't in class. I was worried," she told him.

"Yeah, I got your message. I'm sorry I didn't get back to you. What I had to say probably shouldn't be said over the phone," he said solemnly.

"A simple 'I still haven't killed my brother' update would have sufficed. Or a quick text to let me know if you're falling off the deep end. I can't imagine how difficult this must be for you, but I am here for you," she replied.

"Well, I still haven't killed my brother. I have you to thank for that."

"So what did you want to tell me?" she asked.

"I won't be coming to school anymore. I'm gonna back off and keep my distance. It's the right thing to do," he said sadly. Elena wasn't sure if it was justified or just hormones, but she felt angry.

"Alright, thanks for telling me," she said, clenching her jaw. He'd promised to protect her and now he was choosing to stay away.

"It's better this way," he tried to reason with her.

"Yep, I got it," she said shortly. She felt like Stefan was calling all the shots in their friendship and she hated it. He always decided what was best or what she needed and she never felt like she got to choose what was best for her. It was infuriating.

"You're angry," he said, as though he understood. "That's okay, though. It'll be easier on both of us if you hate me. I'm sorry Elena, but this is what's best."

Yeah, she hated him. She was furious that he was choosing her path for her, furious that he'd gone back on his word, and furious that despite everything he'd brought into her life she still considered him one of her best friends.

She stormed off and met Bonnie at her car so that they could ride home together. Turns out, the other Salvatore brother had also made an appearance after school to demand the necklace back from her.

* * *

"I'm telling you, he's bad news, Elena. He really scared me," Bonnie warned from the driver's seat of her Prius.

"You need to stay as far away from Damon as possible," Elena told her. She knew that Damon would never kill Stefan, but he had killed his best friend. She had no illusions that he wouldn't do the same to Bonnie just because he'd promised not to kill her.

"I'm trying!" Bonnie insisted. "He just keeps showing up."

"I don't want you to be alone. You're sleeping at my place tonight. We can make a whole night of it," Elena suggested. Bonnie was silent for a moment before she slowed down and veered onto the shoulder of the road as they passed the Brotherton's farm.

"Woah! Where are you going?" Elena called out as Bonnie got out of the car. She watched as her friend walked to the edge of the open field and flung the necklace away from her with all of her strength before returning to the car. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Now I am. All my problems were because of that thing. Can't believe I didn't do that sooner," Bonnie said, sounding relieved.

"What's your grams gonna say?" Elena asked.

"Grams isn't the one being haunted by a hundred and fifty year old ghost, is she?" Bonnie argued.

"Okay then," Elena nodded.

"Do you want to just stop by my house with me first? I can grab my stuff and then we can just go to yours," Bonnie suggested, changing the topic.

"Absolutely. Bring the spa day essentials. This baby is kicking my ass today and I need to relax," Elena giggled as she rubbed her belly.

"How's she doing today?" Bonnie asked.

"She's had the hiccups pretty much all day. Right around lunch time they started getting really bad. I feel like it makes my whole body shake every time she does it so it's just a weird feeling. Next Tuesday I won't be at school because I have my 28 week appointment where I have to do this glucose test and I'm getting one of those 4D ultrasounds that's supposed to show you what she actually looks like so I can't wait," Elena gushed.

"That's awesome," Bonnie smiled. "I can't believe you're almost seven months pregnant."

"Me either. I am so ready for this to be over and for her to be here. I know she needs to cook a little longer but I'm seriously over it. I just want to see her face."

* * *

Later at Elena's house Bonnie started talking about Damon again. Elena could tell that she was genuinely afraid for her life, as she should be, so despite her better judgement she asked Stefan to come talk to her. She was still angry with him for making the decision to stay away from her, despite promising to protect her, but she hoped that a threat on Bonnie would show him that he wasn't making the right choice. He was on her front porch in twenty minutes.

"Hey. Thanks for coming. I wouldn't have called if it wasn't important," she told him.

"I know," he nodded, and Elena stepped out onto the porch and closed the front door behind her so that Bonnie wouldn't overhear.

"He threatened her, Stefan," she said as she paced.

"What would Damon want with Bonnie?" he was clearly perplexed.

"She has this necklace. Caroline got it from Damon and she gave it to Bonnie and now Damon wants it back. He's tormenting her," she explained.

"Over a necklace?"

"It's not just any necklace," Elena continued. "It has to do with Bonnie's heritage. It belonged to one of her ancestors who lived here during the Civil War… when you and Damon lived here," the pieces of the puzzle were beginning to fall into place.

"Her name was Emily," Stefan nodded. So he had known her. "She was Katherine's handmaiden, and a witch." Elena certainly hadn't expected him to know what Bonnie was. It floored her.

"You know? About Bonnie?" she asked surprised.

"The first night that you had me over for dinner I made the connection," he explained. He knew Bonnie was a witch before she had even believed it. The whole time Elena had been trying to keep the secret for her friend, Stefan had known anyway.

"And now Damon knows and for some reason he wants that necklace," she said, still wondering what it was about the necklace that had Damon so obsessed. There had to be a reason.

"What does it look like?" Stefan asked.

"It's an antique iron setting with-"

"With an amber crystal," Stefan finished. Clearly he was familiar with it. "I know it. It belonged to Katherine. Emily gave it to her, which means that…" he trailed off.

"What?" she prompted him to continue.

"I don't know," he said, but Elena got the distinct feeling that he was hiding something. "But I'll find out. I'm gonna talk to Damon.

"Will he tell you?" she asked.

"I'll… I'll get it out of him," he said after a long pause, and Elena wondered how far he would go to find out.

After Stefan left, Elena returned to Bonnie.

"So, if I can convince her to bring take out can we invite Caroline to this sleepover?" Elena asked.

"I don't know… I'm sure she's still mad at me," Bonnie replied.

"Well, the necklace is gone now and there's no night like a girls' night to make up," Elena smiled. She grabbed her phone and called Caroline, who reluctantly agreed after the promise of mani/pedis.

When Caroline arrived, the tension in the house was thick. She and Bonnie hardly said a word to each other and it was making Elena crazy. Eventually, she gave Caroline a pointed look and the blonde turned to address Bonnie.

"I'm sorry. There, I said it. If you want the ugly ass necklace, keep it. It's yours," she said, her voice layered thick with sass.

"Will you hate me if I tell you I threw it away?" Bonnie asked reluctantly.

"You threw it away?!"

"I know it sounds crazy but the necklace was giving me nightmares. I had to get rid of it," Bonnie explained.

"You could've just given it back to me," Caroline snapped.

"Why? So you could give it back to Damon?" Elena asked as she rolled her eyes. Caroline didn't want the necklace, she knew that. She also knew that Caroline didn't even really want Damon to have it. In fact, he'd probably compelled her to try to get it back.

"Screw Damon," Caroline sighed. "Are we doing pedicures or what? Someone needs to paint Elena's ratchet toes because I highly doubt she can even see them anymore. Who has their kit?"

"Mine's in my bag," Bonnie replied. Elena chose to ignore the comment about her toes. She knew it was mostly true.

"So Elena," Caroline started as she searched through Bonnie's overnight bag, "Any more gross pregnancy symptoms?" She was referring to after second period when Elena had discovered her nipples were leaking. It had been utterly revolting.

"No, thank God," she huffed, stuffing a small handful of fries into her mouth.

"Why are you such a little liar, Bonnie?" Caroline yelled suddenly.

"What?" Bonnie asked, clearly offended.

"Caroline!" Elena chided. She stopped when she saw the amber colored necklace hanging from the blonde's hand.

"I'm not lying to you Caroline, I swear," Bonnie defended.

"It's true. I watched her throw it into a field," Elena promised.

"Well then explain it," Caroline demanded.

"Emily?" Bonnie asked with her eyes turned to Elena. She looked utterly horrified.

"Who's Emily?" Caroline asked.

"The ghost!"

"Oh the ghost has a name now?" Caroline asked sarcastically.

"Caroline, please," Elena held up a hand to silence her friend and gave Bonnie her attention.

"I wonder why she won't leave me alone."

"Okay, what is going on?" Caroline yelled. "Why am I not a part of this conversation? You guys do this to me all the time"

"That's not true," Elena defended.

"Yes it is," Bonnie spoke up before she turned to Caroline. "I can't talk to you. You don't listen."

"That's not true!" Caroline defended angrily.

"I'm a witch," Bonnie stated gently.

"And don't we all know it?" the blonde quipped.

"See! That's what I'm talking about! I'm trying to tell you something… you won't even hear it," Bonnie said tearfully before storming off.

"I listen!" Caroline defended herself to Elena. "When do I not listen?"

"Go talk to her," Elena prompted and Caroline went after their friend.

Elena listened and was really proud of Caroline for the way she supported Bonnie. When they summoned her into the living room with them she smiled and sat on the edge of the couch.

"Well there is just way too much drama in this room," Caroline smiled. "So what do you guys wanna do?" Elena and Bonnie both shrugged and suddenly Caroline let out a gasp. "I have an idea! Why don't we have a séance?"

The other two grimaced. Now that she knew that all of the creepy, spooky stuff was real, Elena wasn't exactly eager to call upon a dead witch to come explain why she'd been haunting her best friend.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Bonnie stated.

"Come on! Let's summon some spirits. This Emily chick has some serious explaining to do." As usual, Caroline got her way and before they knew it, the three of them were in Elena's bedroom sitting in a circle on the floor with candles in between them.

"What are we doing?" Bonnie asked.

"I don't know," Elena replied. She felt a combination of doubtful, suspicious, and worried. Caroline shushed them and told them to concentrate.

"Okay, close your eyes. Now take a deep breath," she instructed. "Elena, you just pretend it's a birthing class. Bonnie, call to her."

"Emily, you there?" Bonnie said lamely. Elena and Caroline both rolled their eyes.

"Really? 'Emily, you there?' That's all you got? Come on!" Caroline prodded.

"Fine. Emily, I call on you. I know you have a message. I'm here to listen." The flames on the candles shot up several inches before quickly returning to normal. The three of them dropped their hands and Elena was in shock.

"Did that just…"

"Yeah, that just happened," Caroline nodded. She got a chill and shivered.

"It's just the air conditioning," Bonnie reasoned. But it was nearly December and there was none. The flames shot up again.

"Ask her to show you a sign," Caroline said. Bonnie shook her head. "Ask her!" she commanded again. When Bonnie wouldn't do it, Caroline did. "Emily, if you're among us, show us another sign."

The three of them waited in fear, but nothing happened. The flames of each candle were at least four inches high, but other than that there was nothing.

"See, it's not working," Bonnie said, but the look on her face made it clear that she was afraid and didn't want to go any further. Suddenly, the window behind Bonnie flung open with a bang and she shot up, throwing the necklace onto the floor. "No, I can't! I'm done!" The wind from outside blew all of the candles out and Bonnie yelled for one of them to turn on the lights.

Elena rushed towards the light switch and flicked it on.

"You guys. The necklace, it's gone," Bonnie panicked. Elena looked at the floor next to the candles where the necklace had been and there was no sign of it. The girls searched everywhere for it but it was nowhere to be seen.

"Okay, fun's over, Caroline. You made your point and I get it. Now give it back," Elena said. She didn't believe that the giant ugly necklace could've just vanished. Caroline must've taken it while the lights were out.

"What? I didn't take it," she protested. Out of the corner of her eye, Elena saw a shadow moving in the hallway. Jenna and Jeremy were supposed to be at The Grill. "What? What happened?" Caroline asked, following Elena's gaze.

"I don't know. Nothing. Jeremy?" Elena called, walking out into the hall. "Are you home?"

"Um, guys," Bonnie said from inside the bathroom. Elena went to go see what she needed. Bonnie picked something up off the floor and when she turned to show them that it was the necklace, the bathroom door slammed shut in her face. Bonnie screamed repeatedly as Elena and Caroline tried to open the door, but it was locked.

"I'll check the hallway," Elena said, rushing over to Graysen's room, but that door was locked too. Elena knew she hadn't locked it. She would never lock it. The electricity began to flicker as Bonnie screamed and screamed. This was like something from Elena's nightmares. When Bonnie had floated feathers above her bed she wasn't afraid of witches or magic, but now she was terrified. Elena went back to her bedroom and suddenly the screaming stopped and the lock on the door clicked. When it swung open, the bathroom light was on and Bonnie held her head in her hands. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Bonnie replied blankly, as if nothing had happened.

"Unbelievable. You were totally faking it," Caroline accused.

"Caroline," Elena tried to calm her friend.

"No, you scared the hell out of me," she said, storming off.

"Bonnie?" Elena asked. She was confused. Bonnie went from screaming and afraid to calm and normal in seconds flat. It was disconcerting to say the least.

"I'm fine," Bonnie insisted flatly. "Everything's fine."

Elena didn't understand how everything could be fine when some crazy ass witch from the past was terrorizing them at a slumber party.

"I can't believe I fell for it," Caroline fumed.

"Are you okay?" Elena asked Bonnie who seemed to be in a hurry to get out of her bedroom.

"I must go," Bonnie replied, walking toward the stairs.

"If she's leaving, I'm leaving," Caroline said.

"You guys can't leave!" Elena insisted. It was creepy and dangerous out there and somebody had to protect Bonnie from Damon.

"Oh, I can! I've had enough freaky fake witch stuff for one night," Caroline insisted.

"Thank you for having me. I'll take it from here," Bonnie said. Her voice was still devoid of emotion and Elena was extremely concerned for her.

"Where are you going?" Elena asked.

"Back to where it all began," she replied as she descended the steps.

"Bonnie!" Elena called, but the girl didn't stop. Maybe it wasn't Bonnie. Maybe that's why she was acting so strange. After all, they had tried to communicate with Emily. Maybe it had worked a little too well. "Bonnie?" she tried again. Still no response. She knew it was true. "Oh my God. Emily!"

Bonnie instantly spun around. "I won't let him have it. It must be destroyed," she said as she ran out the front door. For Elena, that was more than enough confirmation that her friend was being possessed.

"Wait!" she called out after her, but she couldn't get the front door open.

"What's happening?" Caroline asked.

"I don't know! The door. It's not-" Elena pulled harder and suddenly the door was swinging open and a figure stepped over the threshold. She and Caroline screamed.

"What the hell?" Jeremy demanded. Both girls were terrified and out of breath. Jeremy walked past them and into the dining room.

"I'm out of here!" Caroline exclaimed, walking out the front door.

Elena grabbed for her phone and called Stefan. Hopefully he would know what to do about Bonnie/Emily.

"What's wrong?" he asked, picking up the phone immediately.

"It's Bonnie."

"What happened?" he asked.

"Emily is possessing her! She said something."

"What did she say?"

"She said 'I won't let him have it, it must be destroyed.' And then she just left," she explained.

"Where do you think she went?" Stefan asked.

"I don't know…" Elena thought. Emily had said she was going back to where it all began. Elena wasn't entirely sure what 'it' was, but Bonnie kept waking up outside the ruins of old Fell's Church. That had to mean something. "Fell's Church. By the old cemetery. That's where she took Bonnie in her dreams. We have to help her, Stefan!"

"Alright. Just stay there. I'm gonna go find her," Stefan said, hanging up the phone.

* * *

As much as she wanted to find Bonnie, she knew that Stefan was more than capable and she didn't need to stress herself out any more than she already was, so she elected to sit this one out. About an hour and a half after she called Stefan, he was knocking on the door with Bonnie standing beside him. Her neck and dress were covered in blood.

"Oh my God, Bonnie! What happened to you?" Elena asked.

"Damon bit her. I gave her some of my blood. It can heal wounds," Stefan explained. That was a new one.

"I don't understand. What happened to me? He attacked me and his face was like…" Bonnie trailed off, unable to finish her thought, and Elena knew the feeling.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine, it's just… what's going on?" Bonnie asked. Clearly Stefan had chosen to let Elena tell her.

"I'll explain everything, Bonnie. Why don't you just go upstairs? I'll be right up," she promised. Bonnie nodded through her tears and walked in the house. Elena turned to Stefan. "You said you gave her your blood. Is she in danger of becoming…?"

"No, she'd have to die with my blood in her system. Just keep an eye on her tonight, make sure she doesn't get into any accidents or anything and she should be fine in the morning," he replied.

"I'm gonna tell her the truth," she told him. He knew Bonnie's secret so now it was only fair that she knew his. Especially since his brother had sucked her blood. Stefan nodded. "You saved her life. I told you that I need you around. You keep me safe, and you kept my best friend safe. You don't have to push me away. I can do this."

"Too many people have died, Elena. I think it's time for Damon and I to leave," he replied.

"No. I mean it when I say that I feel safer with you. Vampires existed long before I met you and you keep me safe. And now there's all this scary witch stuff… I like having you on my side, and you're one of my best friends. I can't let you leave. This is your home, please don't go. Just promise me you'll think about it," she argued.

"Sure, I'll think about it," he nodded, but he didn't sound convinced.

Elena went up to her room and found Bonnie sitting on her bed, staring blankly at the wall with a blanket wrapped around her. She explained the entire thing from the very beginning. She told her about her suspicions of Stefan and all of the signs that led her to confront him. She told her about Caroline and Damon. She told her all of the things that the vampires were capable of and about Emily's connection to Damon and Stefan. She even told her about her fears and her now abandoned plan to give up Graysen. And then she told her that the both of them were leaving and Bonnie comforted her while she cried for Stefan. After the two of them were all cried out and Bonnie was in the shower, Elena got a text from Damon. He was probably the last person she wanted to speak to right now, but her hormones were kicked into full gear and she was hoping to rip him a new one so she opened the message.

 _Can we talk, please? Meet me outside?_

He dared to show up at her house with Bonnie here? She was furious. Elena quietly snuck downstairs to avoid waking Jenna or Jeremy and when she got to her front porch, there was Damon, on the porch swing with his head in his hands.

When she closed the front door he lifted his head to look at her, but she knew he'd been aware of her presence long before that. She saw that his eyes were brimming with tears and she stopped in her tracks, completely forgetting that she'd come outside prepared to swear and curse and hit him.

"Katherine never compelled me. I knew every step of the way. Stefan talks about her like she was just this monster who forced us to do her bidding, but it was real for me. I loved her, and the only thing holding me together was the thought that I would see her again, but now that's gone. I'll leave now. I'll get out of Mystic Falls and I'll leave all of your friends alone. I'm sorry, Elena. I know that it wasn't Bonnie's fault, and I'm sorry I bit her. I was just trying to get back at Emily. I never meant to be like this. I just didn't want to hurt anymore. I just wanted Katherine back."

"Damon, what are you talking about?" she asked gently, coming to sit beside him. She'd seen him be gentle, but she'd never seen him like this. He was so raw and exposed. For the first time since she met him he actually seemed… human.

"There's this thing that vampires can do. When this eternal life becomes too hard, we can choose not to feel our emotions. It's like this humanity switch that we can just turn off. The only problem with it is that once it's off you don't ever want to turn it back on because you know you'll have to face that pain again. Mine's been off for years because I just wanted to wait this out and bring Katherine back. But I needed that necklace to do it and Emily destroyed it. She's gone for good and I'm just so… sad that it kick started all of my emotions again. I can feel everything," he explained gently as a few silent tears rolled down his cheeks. She wasn't sure what to say.

"I'm sorry," was what she settled for in the end. He looked shocked, much like he had that night he'd come to her house with Caroline and she told him that she was sorry he had lost Katherine.

"Don't be. This is all my fault, but I'm going to leave," he replied.

"Will you turn your emotions off again?" she asked, praying that he wouldn't.

"I don't know. Probably," he answered truthfully.

"Don't, Damon. You're strong. You can get through this. I know that you can. And please don't leave. As crazy as this sounds, I feel safe with you," she told him.

"Don't. I'm still a monster, Elena." With a flash of wind he was gone into the night, and Elena was sitting alone and confused on her porch swing.

* * *

 **AN: They never explicitly said it in the show, but looking back, this definitely looked like the moment that Damon's humanity came back, even if he tried to pretend that it didn't. Not exactly sure how I feel about this chapter. There was a lot of dialogue so it feels pretty choppy to me, but let me know what you think!**


	17. 28 weeks, 4 days

**I only have the next chapter written up after this. I need to get to writing some more so that I have chapters stockpiled again, but I do start school next week (I know, who starts school in March?) so updates may only be once a week or so. It's not that I want that, it just may have to be that way.**

 **Thank you all SO much for your reviews!**

* * *

 _Dear Diary,_

 _Still no word from Stefan or Damon. I missed school yesterday because of my doctor's appointment, but it wouldn't have made a difference. Stefan wouldn't have gone, and I have no excuse to see Damon again. I can honestly say I've never been so confused in my life. When Damon came over to talk to me last week it was like he was a totally different person. I saw him with hopes and dreams and emotions. And it was beautiful. That's the thing that scares me the most about him. It's not that he's some killer and it isn't because he's always so hot and cold. It's the way he makes me feel that terrifies me. I don't know exactly what these feelings for him mean or if I should even acknowledge them, but they're there. And I don't want him to leave._

Elena stood by the front door, buttoning up her coat. She subconsciously checked her phone again, pausing to smile at her new lock screen. It was a photo from her 4D Ultrasound that showed every detail of Graysen's little face. So far as she could tell, she had Elena's mouth and nose with Matt's eye shape and chin. She was perfect.

"Any update?" Aunt Jenna asked. Elena had been awaiting some form of communication from the Salvatore brothers but it hadn't come yet. She thought they surely wouldn't leave without saying goodbye, but then again her last conversations with both of them had certainly sounded pretty final. Stefan told her he would consider staying and she could only pray that he would come to his senses.

"They both know how I feel. They're my best friends and I don't want them to leave. But it doesn't matter because they're going to do whatever they want anyway," she huffed.

"Where are they wanting to move to?" Jenna asked.

"I've stopped asking questions, the answers get scary," Elena replied blankly.

"Your complicated boy things leave, mine returns," Jenna joked.

"Logan?" she hadn't realized that Logan was back I town.

"I didn't let him past the front door," Jenna told her proudly.

"I hope you slammed it in his face."

"Medium slam," Jenna said, rolling her eyes.

"Three strike rule, Jenna. We're not even allowed to watch the news."

"Exactly. No more Logan Scumfell," she smiled.

* * *

When Elena and Bonnie got to school, Elena was surprised to see Matt and Caroline looking extremely close and flirty in the hall.

"Did I miss something?" she asked Bonnie.

"They've been hanging out. Up until now I thought it was strictly platonic, but they're looking a little cutesy over there. Are you okay? Do you want me to talk to Caroline?" Bonnie asked.

"No. Actually, I feel surprisingly okay with it. I never wanted Matt to sit around pining over me and I knew that meant that he would date other girls. It doesn't even bother me that it's Caroline. If another girl's going to be around Matt and be with my baby, I'm glad it's someone that I really trust," Elena said. She honestly hadn't given much thought to what would happen when Matt eventually started dating again, but she felt this sudden relief wash over her knowing that he might move on with Caroline.

"That's a great way of looking at it. Besides, she needs someone nice like him as opposed to a homicidal maniac like Damon," Bonnie quipped. Elena hadn't mentioned Damon's visit the night of their sleepover or her sketchy feelings for him. It just didn't seem like the right time.

"Yeah, how are you doing with all that?" she asked.

"I'm freaked out. Damon attacked me. I could be dead right now," Bonnie replied somberly. Elena wished that Damon could just apologize to Bonnie like he had apologized to her, but she knew it wasn't in his nature. Besides, he was probably leaving soon. "But I'm also kind of grateful to Stefan. He saved my life. He's a good guy. Have you seen him?"

"Not since he told me he was leaving and I practically begged him to stay. It was a little pathetic," she sighed, stuffing her scarf into her locker once they'd reached it. "For all I know he's already gone."

"He wouldn't leave without saying goodbye," her friend insisted.

"Yes he would. He thinks he's protecting me. Which is ridiculous because the whole reason that I was even slightly okay with the whole 'we're undead bloodsuckers' thing was because I thought they'd be able to protect me and Grays from any other vampires and spooky stuff that Mystic Falls inevitably attracts," she grumbled.

"Well no matter what happens, she'll have an overprotective Auntie witch to watch over her. You have nothing to worry about," Bonnie smiled.

* * *

After school, Elena was gushing over her ultrasound pictures with some girls from the cheerleading squad. They reached the picnic tables outside and Elena stopped dead in her tracks. Perched atop a table like some kind of Greek God was Damon Salvatore with his piercing crystal eyes staring straight into hers.

"I gotta go, I'll catch up with you guys later," she whispered to her old friends before making her way to Damon.

"So is this it? Are you leaving?" she asked sadly, despite herself.

"Unfortunately, you're stuck with me a little longer. I made you a promise, after all. Let's go talk," he tilted his head away from the crowd of students as he smirked.

When they reached a slightly more secluded spot he spoke again. "The sheriff came by this morning. They found a girl drained of blood just outside your neighborhood. It wasn't me and it sure wasn't Saint Stefan, so there has to be somebody else."

Elena was shocked. This was exactly the reason she hadn't wanted them to leave. She needed their protection. She needed _them_. "So you have no idea who it could be?" she asked. Damon shook his head.

"If I had to guess I'd say it's a newbie. Just leaving a body lying around like that is sloppy. Either they have no idea what they're doing or they're trying to send a message. And if that's the case, they won't like my answer," he said. His eyes were dark and intense as if he were planning in his head what he'd do to the new vampire. He looked powerful and frightening.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"Stefan's started tracking it. We flipped a coin for who got to come tell you. I cheated. I'm about to go meet up with him though, because I'm the far superior predator. And then I'm gonna find it and kill it," he smiled as if he were proudly telling her that he planned to squash a wasp that had stung her.

"So you're not leaving?" she asked for clarification, deciding to ignore the impending vampire-slaughter.

"Looks like you're stuck with me. Must be your lucky day," he smirked deliciously before swaggering off to his Camaro. "Also, I'm borrowing Caroline," he called over his shoulder, ignoring her protests against him using her best friend.

He may have his humanity switched on at the moment, but he was certainly still very 'Damon,' and Elena wasn't sure exactly how she should feel about it.

* * *

Later at the 'Planning for the Future' event at school, Elena was happy to see Caroline in one piece.

She saw Matt standing by one of the booths and she figured she should talk to him. "Still want to be an astronaut?" she asked, smiling.

"I can't believe you remember that," he blushed.

"I can still remember the tin foil you wore on your head!" she replied.

"I was eight!" he protested. There was a semi-awkward silence between the two of them for a moment before Elena spoke up.

"I'm sure it's too early for it to really be anything yet, but I want you to know that if you're talking to Caroline, I'm like… really okay with it. I don't know if that was something you even thought about, but I wanted to bring it up. I trust her. And if you wanted to date someone I'd be glad if it was her," she told him sincerely.

"We're friends, it's not a big deal," he blushed again. "But I'm really glad you said that."

Elena offered him a smile in return and she glanced over her left shoulder and saw Stefan. She excused herself from Matt and found a secluded corner to talk to Stefan.

"I'm guessing you're not here to plan a path for your future," she joked humorlessly. He just looked at her. "You're looking out for me."

"I hope that's okay," he said gently.

"Of course it is. You make me feel safe. That's why I want you to stick around," she replied.

"You know, I wanted to be a doctor," he told her suddenly. "Before everything happened. But then I couldn't, because…"

"The blood," she finished for him simply.

"Yeah," he agreed with a tiny smirk. "I've dabbled in a bunch of different things though."

"Didn't care about anything enough to stick to it?" she jabbed.

"No, I loved it all. I just… I had to move on before anyone could notice that I wasn't getting any older," he said. What Elena was gathering from this conversation was that no matter what she did or said, he planned to leave her eventually.

"How long before that would happen?" she asked.

"A few years, usually. Sometimes shorter."

"And you always left?"

"I never had a choice," he smiled sadly. "So, what about you? What are your plans for the future?"

"To be the best mother I can possibly be and make sure that my daughter is always safe from whatever dangers she may face," she told him in a way that made it perfectly clear that she was angry with him for abandoning her when he'd promised to always protect them. He had been the one to convince her to keep Graysen. He told her that she could do it and that they'd be safe under his watch. He lied. And unlike Damon, he'd yet to even hint to her that he might stay after all.

Suddenly Jenna came up behind them, grabbing onto Elena's arm, "Hide me," she said desperately.

"What's going on?" Elena asked, though she had a pretty good idea.

"The Scumfell has landed," Jenna whispered. No surprise there.

"Logan's here?" she scoffed.

"Logan Fell?" Stefan asked. She didn't miss the look on his face. He looked almost panicked, as if he knew something terrible about Logan. Jenna nodded, and without a word Stefan took off into the hallway. This couldn't be good.

Elena and Jenna followed him, "Stefan, what's going on?" she asked.

"Jenna!" Logan called, walking up to them. "Are you dodging me?"

"It's a form of self-preservation," she spat.

"Elena, why don't you and Jenna go somewhere else," Stefan suggested in a way that told her it wasn't up for debate. He looked into her eyes as if he were begging her to go and she responded immediately.

"Jenna, let's go," she said, pulling her aunt away by the arm.

Once they were back in the cafeteria she tried to figure out what was going on. Was Logan the new vampire? "When Logan came to the house what exactly did he say?" she asked.

"Fake flattery. Stupid dimple grin. Puppy dog eyes," she huffed.

"I'm serious, Jenna. How did he act? What did he say?" she pried.

"He was the usual Logan. Charming, little more manic than usual, he kept trying to convince me to let him in," that was it. All the confirmation Elena needed. Logan was definitely the newbie vampire. Her eyes widened in shock.

"What?" Jenna asked.

"Okay, listen to me _very_ carefully. Do not, under any circumstances, talk to him again. I'm serious, Jenna. Like _ever_ ," she told her intensely. Jenna looked confused, but before she could ask any questions, Alaric, the new history teacher came up behind them.

"Hey Elena. Jenna," he said.

"Hi Mr. Saltzman," Elena replied. He turned his attention towards Jenna.

"I was hoping I'd see you here tonight," he smiled.

"Career night is the new bowling," Jenna joked and he laughed.

Elena excused herself from them and went to find Stefan. He was just outside the building on the phone. She caught a snippet of his conversation and assumed it had to be Damon.

"He's working the crowd," he said and then paused a moment as if he were listening before hanging up.

"So. Anything you'd like to share?" she asked him, folding her arms over her chest. Like perhaps the fact that he knew Logan had died and not told her, at the very least. She wondered which one of them had turned him.

"It was the night Vicki turned," he started. "Logan was working with the Founder's Council. They have this compass that points you towards vampires and he found us. He was going to stake me and Damon killed him. Neither of us gave him our blood so that means that somebody else turned him. There's another vampire out there. This isn't over."

"Oh my God," she gasped.

"We have to find him," he told her. They walked back into the school to search the halls and Elena saw Matt.

"Hey, have you seen Logan Fell, the news guy?" she asked. She decided it was worth a shot. He was the closest thing to famous in Mystic Falls, after all.

"Yeah, he just gave Caroline a ride home," Matt shrugged before walking off. Elena turned to look at Stefan.

"Stay here," he told her.

* * *

She'd been walking around the career fair for nearly an hour waiting for him or Damon or some kind of news before she finally spotted him down the hall.

"Caroline?" she asked immediately. She'd been worried sick.

"She's okay. I took her home. She was shaken up, but all she knows is Logan attacked her," he promised.

"Where's Logan?" she demanded.

"Damon's… dealing with him," he said. She hadn't expected anything else, and she was surprised to find that she didn't even feel bad for Logan.

"Can I give you a ride home?" she asked. She felt like they had a lot to talk about.

"Yeah, that'd be nice," he smiled.

When they pulled into the driveway of the boarding house, they got out of the car and went inside and sat down on the plush living room couch.

"You asked me what I wanted my future to be," she reminded him. "I wanted to be a writer. My mom sort of pushed me into that direction from the time I was able to read. She supported me, encouraged me, bought me my first journal. And then she died. But now that my mom's gone, I just can't see myself being a writer anymore. That was something that we shared. I know that you think that you brought all this bad stuff into my life, but my life already had it. I was buried in it," she told him. "Sure, this is different, but it doesn't make it any less painful. And you've helped me through it. You've been there for me and protected me and kept me safe. And it's more than that. I know you think that you're doing what's best for me, but you don't get to make that decision. If you walk away, it's for you, because I know what I want and I've told you time and time again. You're my _best friend_ , Stefan. And I can't stand to lose you."

"As beautiful and compelling as that speech was, there was no way I was gonna leave you before we find out who turned Logan Fell," he smiled, nudging her shoulder. "You're my best friend too."

Elena squealed in delight and threw her arms around his neck. "It was a good speech, wasn't it?" she smirked. She was absolutely thrilled that both Damon and Stefan were recommitted to staying by her side. "Now you have to give into my demands for putting me under all this stress over the last 48 hours," she told him smugly.

"Here we go," he rolled his eyes.

"A jar of olives and a tour of the house," she told him, standing up from the couch and reaching for his hand to pull him up as well.

"That's not so bad," he conceded. "Let's start with the kitchen." Once he found the olives, he handed them to her and showed her around the first floor.

"There's a creepy basement dungeon where we keep Damon when he's extra bad, but we won't go down there right now," he laughed.

"This place is even bigger than I thought," she said in awe. "How many bedrooms is it?"

"Six. Well, seven if you count mine, but it's more of an attic loft kind of thing," he said.

"That's insane. Show me upstairs." He opened the doors of the various guest rooms. Some were empty, some had full furniture sets, and some were filled with boxes of junk.

"That's Damon's room, but I won't show you in there," he pointed down the hall. Elena wondered what Damon's bedroom would be like. She imagined sleek and sophisticated with a giant bed and minimal furniture.

Stefan gestured up a narrow flight of stairs with a door at the top. Elena went first, and when she swung open the door she felt that the room just screamed 'Stefan.' There were shelves upon shelves of books, a large desk, and beautiful French doors. It was perfect.

"I've never been in your room before," she smiled.

"It hasn't changed much over the years," he told her.

"Do you leave everything here when you come and go?" she asked. As far as she knew, Stefan hadn't been back home since the fifties.

"Yeah. It's the only place that remains constant. This room holds every memory that I ever thought was important enough to hold onto." She could hear the sentimentality and nostalgia creeping into his voice.

"You must have a lot of memories," she replied with wonder as she glanced at a shelf filled with journals dating back through the decades. It was truly incredible.

"Yeah. You need anything to drink to go with those olives?" he laughed.

"I could go for a water," she shrugged. Stefan walked back down the narrow steps and she continued to look around. There was an old recliner next to one of the bookcases. She imagined him sitting in it as he read. His bed was big, and comfortable, she noted as she sat down to test it. She walked over to the desk, but something on the table in the middle of the room caught her eye. It looked like an old photograph and she wondered who it would be. She picked it up and eyed it, noticing first that it was a girl with dark, curly hair. She studied it closer and realized that it was her own face staring up at her from the antique photo. Every detail of the face was her. It was exactly what she saw every time she looked in the mirror, except for the hair, but this photo wasn't of her. In the bottom right corner was a name that made her heart fall through the pit of her stomach.

 _Katherine 1864._

She knew that Stefan would be coming back to bring her water, but she couldn't stand to look at him right now. He had lied to her. They both had. They were just using her as some modern day copy of their girlfriend who died and it made her sick. She had to leave. She pulled the vervain necklace off and placed it and the jar of olives next to the photo, then she rushed quietly down the stairs and out of the front door.

She was near tears as she drove home. He probably didn't even care about her. He was just using her in a sick game, pretending she was someone that she wasn't. It made her blood boil. She was so deep in thought that she didn't see the man standing in the middle of the road until it was too late. She slammed on the brakes, but she wasn't quick enough. She hit him hard and swerved, causing her SUV to flip once and then twice before she landed upside down. She spat out pieces of the windshield and she was frozen in shock. The baby. All she could think about was Graysen and she silently begged her to kick or roll or do something, anything, to indicate that she was okay in there. She began to sob, and then she remembered she hit a man. She looked into one of her mirrors and saw him lying in the street behind her. He was a mass of broken limbs and she watched in horror as he straightened himself out and popped the bones and joints back into place. It had to be a vampire. He walked over to the car and she screamed when his boots were just outside her window.

* * *

 **Up next: Bloodlines! Damon and Elena are going to Georgia! The chapter is all written and it's over 6,000 words! Please leave reviews! Also, let me know how you're liking the slow burn. I'm considering really dragging it out so that they don't get together until the end of season 2 (After Damon nearly dies from the werewolf bite and she kisses him), but I could also speed it up some. Let me know!**


	18. 28 weeks, 5 days

**AN: Thank you SO much for the incredible reviews on the last chapter! I'm overwhelmed and overjoyed!**

 **Here it is, the chapter everyone's been waiting for: Bloodlines! I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

* * *

As soon as she screamed the man ran away faster than her eyes could follow him. Before she could even question what had caused him to flee, there was a face in her window. She screamed again, but quickly realized it was Damon. Again, she found herself thankful to be under his protection.

"Elena, are you okay?" he asked calmly but urgently.

"Damon?" she cried.

"You're stuck," he moved to lift the car.

"It's my seatbelt," she told him. She'd tried to unbuckle it to no avail. He came back to the window and hushed her as she cried.

"I'm gonna get you out of here," he promised. "I want you to put your hands on the roof. Like that. Ready? One… two… three." On three, he yanked the seatbelt free from its holster and caught her as she fell. "I got you. Are you okay?"

He was carrying her in his arms and she could hardly speak through her tears. "My baby?"

"I can hear her heart. That's all I know. I can give you some of my blood," he offered gently. "It will heal her too." Elena would've cringed at the thought of drinking Damon's blood, but for now it was the only thing that could assure her that her daughter would survive this.

She nodded her head and blinked through her tears. Damon lowered her feet to the ground, keeping his arm around her lower back to steady her, and brought his wrist to his mouth. She heard a strange popping sound as he pierced his skin with his fangs and he brought the bloody skin to her lips. At first she sipped reluctantly, but when she felt herself get better and stronger with each pull she acted instinctively, wrapping her hands around his arm and holding it close as she drank. When she was fully healed she let him go and was surprised to discover that it hadn't been quite as disgusting as she'd imagined.

Damon loosened his grip on her waist and brought her eyes to meet his by holding her chin in his hand. "Her heart sounds perfect. Are you okay?" he asked again.

She shook her head and let the tears fall freely. Knowing that Graysen was going to be fine brought her peace, but she was still devastated.

"I look like her," she cried.

"What?" he asked, his eyes filled with panic, though she knew that he knew exactly what she meant.

"I saw that picture of Katherine that Stefan keeps in his bedroom. I look just like her. Why didn't he tell me?" Damon's eyes searched hers as if he were looking into her mind for the exact right words to say to her.

"I don't know," he answered finally. "I wanted to tell you, but for some reason I convinced myself that it was his job."

"It was. He approached me first. It was like he was always following me. Because I look like her. This whole time. He tried to date me! What, so he could pretend he was with Katherine again?" Now she was fuming. "You not telling me- I'm upset, but I understand it. You and I were different. But Stefan should've said something."

At this point, she was so overwhelmed with emotion that she sunk to the ground and just cried. She cried for her car, which was obviously totaled, she cried about the man that would've surely killed her if Damon hadn't shown up, and she cried for her friendship with Stefan that was tainted by this lie. When she was finally out of tears she slipped into a deep sleep, safely in Damon's strong, leather clad arms.

When she woke up it was daylight and she was in Damon's Camaro, passing a farm she didn't recognize. She turned to him and he smiled smugly at her.

"Morning."

"Where are we?" she asked in shock.

"Georgia," he sing-songed. It sounded like he was joking, but she was afraid that he wasn't.

"Georgia? No. No we're not. Seriously, Damon, where are we?" she asked, panic setting in.

"Seriously. We're- we're in Georgia," he said flatly, as if he were afraid of her reaction but also knew that ultimately it wouldn't matter. She gasped in shock. "How are you feeling? Graysen's been kicking the crap out of you all morning. I kept the radio down so I could listen."

She stared at him for a long moment. "You can hear that too?"

"Of course. Remember the Founder's Ball? I asked you if she kicked a lot because I could hear her doing it. How was I supposed to know you hadn't felt it yet?" he replied. She kept staring at him in awe.

"That's incredible," she whispered.

"I know," he stage-whispered cockily. Another long moment passed before Elena spoke again.

"Wait… my car! And who was that man? I hit him and then he got up…"

"That's what I'd like to know," he replied gravely.

She began searching through her pockets. She'd been out all night and she needed to let Jenna know that she was okay. "Where's my phone? We really need to go back! Nobody knows where I am! Pull over."

Damon just gave her a sidelong glance before turning his eyes back to the road. He made no move to pull over or even respond to her pleas.

"I mean it, Damon! Pull over," she demanded again. He just smirked. "Stop the car."

"Ugh, you were so much more fun when you were asleep," he huffed, finally pulling the car to the edge of the road.

She immediately got out of the car and her back pain had her doubling over, holding onto the car door for support. Damon was at her side in a flash. "Hey," he said gently, clearly concerned.

"I'll be fine. Clearly vampire blood does nothing for pregnancy back pain," she groaned.

"Why don't you just sit back down?" he suggested.

"We have to go back," she told him sternly.

"Oh, come on. Look, we've already come this far," he reasoned.

"Damon, I can't be in Georgia. I wrecked my car. I have to go home," she explained frantically.

"Well we're already here. And you're without your magic little necklace, I might add. I could very easily make you… agreeable," he smirked.

"Don't try to pull that crap with me, Damon. You wouldn't," she said defiantly, but it was clear that she wasn't entirely convinced that he wouldn't. Before he could answer she heard her phone ring. The noise was coming from Damon's jacket pocket. "That's my phone!"

Damon pulled it from his pocket and looked at the screen. "Mmmm it's your favorite Salvatore," he said sarcastically as he handed it to her. Elena turned away from it. Sure, she should probably give Stefan the chance to explain himself, but she didn't feel like it right now. She was still convinced that Stefan had only sought to use her as a replacement girlfriend. She was pregnant and it still didn't stop him from going after her like she was his property. At least Damon had stayed away, never really making a move towards her. The two of them just kind of fell together naturally. Stefan had wormed his way into her life with an agenda and a purpose.

"Elena's phone," Damon answered for her. She could only hear his side of the conversation, but she assumed Stefan wasn't thrilled that she was with his brother. Too bad. "Elena? She's right here. And yes, she's… _fine_ ," he said as if implying double meaning to the word. It made Elena blush.

Damon held the phone out to her. "He wants to talk to you," he laughed, but she shook her head, denying it. He put the phone back to his own ear. "Yeah, I don't think she really wants to talk to you right now… You have a good day. Bye now," he finished condescendingly.

"Look, no one knows where I am. Can we please just go back?" she asked him again.

"We're almost there," he nearly whined.

"Okay, where is _there_?" she demanded.

"A little place right outside of Atlanta. Oh come on, Elena. You don't wanna go back right now, do you? What's the rush? Time out. Trust me. Your problems are still gonna be there when you get home," his argument was compelling and she felt her resolve weaken. "Look, step away from your life for five minutes. Five minutes."

She sighed. "Am I gonna be safe with you?" She had to ask. Sure, Damon had never put her in harm's way before, but this was different. She was going in completely blind and the ball was totally in Damon's court on this one.

He put both hands on her cheeks and looked deeply into her eyes. "Yes."

"Do you promise not to do that mind control thing with me?" she asked timidly.

"Yes," he promised again.

"Can I trust you?"

Damon let go of her face and looked around before turning away. "Get in the car," he smirked. Elena rolled her eyes and decided that two out of three wasn't bad. "Come on," he prompted, opening the passenger door for her.

"So where is my car?" she asked curiously once they were driving again.

"Oh, I pulled it off to the side of the road. I don't think anyone will bother it," he said nonchalantly.

"What about that man in the road?" she asked. "Was he a vampire?"

"From what I could tell, yeah," he replied, gripping the steering wheel firmly.

"You didn't know him?"

"If I've never met him, I wouldn't know him. I mean it's not like we all hang out together at the Vamp Bar and Grill," he said dryly. Elena hadn't meant it that way. She just thought that maybe since Mystic Falls was so small there could be a chance that Damon knew him or had seen him before. Clearly that wasn't the case.

"Alright, alright. I just thought you might know some others. Maybe have some vampire friends or something," she deadpanned.

"Nope. That's Stefan's thing. I'm more of the creepy psychopath type. You know, living all alone, preying on people. All that stuff," he smirked.

"So over the last hundred and fifty some years you haven't had any friends?" she asked.

"Not exactly. Mostly I just follow Stef around, make his life miserable, and when I get bored I kill people and sleep with hot girls whose names usually start with a K or an M and are generally not spelled the way they were intended to be spelled," he joked, but she could see the truth in his eyes. He wasn't happy. He was constantly searching for something to fill a void in him, but as long as he'd lived, and it was a long time, he was still empty.

"I'll be your friend," she smirked, trying to keep the mood light.

"No way, Gilbert. I'm not hanging out with you and your baby," he smiled, looking down at his lap.

"Oh please. Don't act like you're not totally obsessed with her," she rolled her eyes.

"I refuse to admit any personal attachment to a fetus," he shook his head defiantly. "Especially one that sounds like she could kick my ass. How does that not hurt?" he winced.

Graysen had been delivering swift kicks to her womb all morning. They were starting to get particularly violent and Elena was sure she would be able to see them clearly through her skin so she lifted up her shirt and pulled down her black belly band. Sure enough there were constantly moving lumps just under the surface of her belly. Damon turned towards her to glance at it.

"Holy shit. She's planning her escape. Is that normal?" he asked.

"Completely. She's just a really active baby," Elena laughed. Damon closed his eyes for a moment. "Damon! Eyes on the road!" she insisted.

"Shh, I'm concentrating!" he replied, closing his eyes again. Elena put her left hand on the wheel to help steer as he remained concentrated. Eventually he spoke up again. "Her feet are right there," he pointed to the lower-middle right section of her belly. "Her head is here," he pointed just above the middle of her belly and slightly to the left. "She's sucking her thumb and her other hand is…here," he pointed just to the right of where he claimed her head was.

"You got all that from just listening?" Elena asked incredulously.

"Mhmm. I can hear the sucking noise and she's waving her other hand around, so I heard that. Her feet were easy because I can see them," he replied.

Elena smiled up at him and let out a sigh of content. Maybe this road trip wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

Once they were in town Damon stopped his car right outside of an old building with a sign that read 'Bree's Bar.'

"Damon, where are we? You brought me to a bar?" Elena asked incredulously. "I'm underage and pregnant. There's no way they'll let me in."

"Sure they will," he smirked, tilting his head to the door as he waited for her to follow him inside. The establishment was larger than it appeared on the outside and Elena was surprised by the number of patrons considering how early in the day it was. Damon lead her to the bar in the middle of the room where a dark skinned woman who appeared to be in her early forties wiped the counter down with a rag. As they got nearer, the woman turned to look at Damon.

"No. No, it can't be! Damon?" she smiled, swinging her legs over the bar. "My honey pie," she addressed him before grabbing his face and pulling him in for a kiss. Elena turned away, feeling exceedingly awkward by the public display of affection. The woman looked nearly old enough to be Damon's mother. When they finally pulled apart, they greeted each other a little more conventionally and she urged him and Elena to have a seat at the bar.

The woman, whom Elena had gathered was 'Bree' from the bar's sign, grabbed a bottle of Bourbon from the bar top and raised it into the air before pouring it into a line of empty shot glasses. "Listen up, everybody! Here's to the man that broke my heart, crushed my soul, destroyed my life, and ruined any and all chances of happiness," Damon gave his best smirk to date at that introduction and Elena could see how that would be a fitting description for Damon. The more she got to know him, the harder she found it to ignore all of the good things about Damon. He was honest, protective, charismatic, and devastatingly handsome. On the other hand, he was destructive and murderous and vengeful. As the days went on, Elena was finding it more difficult to categorize her feelings for Damon. At this point, she thought that the best summary was that he was the bad boy she had a crush on even though she knew he could destroy her if given the chance. But she had no intentions of giving him that chance. It wouldn't hurt to admire him from afar and it would never be more than just an insignificant crush, she told herself.

Bree raised her shot glass to her lips and Damon downed his and the one that had been placed in front of Elena in quick succession. Why the glass had even been set in front of her, she wasn't sure. As the woman poured another round, she addressed Elena. "So, how'd he rope you in?"

"I'm not roped in. He's actually-" she began, but the woman cut her off.

"Honey, if you're not roped, you're whipped. Either way, just enjoy the ride," Bree smiled.

"Okay," Elena replied, trying her best not to roll her eyes. "So how did you two meet?"

"College," she giggled. Elena's eyebrows raised nearly to her hairline as she turned to Damon in surprise.

" _You_ went to college?" she asked, the disbelief was evident in her voice.

"I've been on a college campus, yes," he smirked as he raised his third shot to his lips.

"About twenty years ago when I was a sweet young freshman, I met this beautiful man and I fell in love. And then he told me his little secret. Made me love him even more. 'Cause, you see, I had a little secret of my own that I was dying to share with somebody," Bree explained.

Damon leaned over to whisper into Elena's ear "She's a witch." Her eyebrows hit her hairline again, but at the same time she felt that she shouldn't be so surprised. Damon didn't seem like the type to drive all the way to Atlanta just for a stroll down memory lane. Of course they were here to see a witch.

"Changed my world, you know," Bree smiled softly at Damon.

"I rocked your world," he smirked lewdly. Elena tried not to vomit in her mouth as Bree giggled.

"He is good in the sack, isn't he?" she mused. Elena wondered if perhaps this woman thought that her baby was Damon's. Or maybe she was just oblivious; after all, she'd poured her a shot. Elena didn't even know if vampires could have kids or how that would work. Maybe they could, since she looked so identical to Katherine.

"But mostly he's just a walk-away Joe," Bree finished as she slipped her second shot of Bourbon down her throat and walked to the other end of the bar. A moment later she spoke up again. "So, what is it that you want?"

* * *

After Elena had successfully lied to Jenna about her current whereabouts and the events from the night before, her phone let out a shrill, but not entirely unexpected, ring. It was Stefan, again, and she decided it was finally time to hear what he had to say.

"Elena, is that you?" he asked as soon as she picked up.

"I'm here," she responded simply.

"Where are you?" from his tone she could tell that he was worried, but she felt that she was doing fine in Damon's more-than-capable hands.

"How am I connected to Katherine, Stefan?" she asked bluntly.

"I honestly don't know," he said. She knew in her heart that the only reason they'd met was because she looked like his vampire ex-girlfriend. He didn't even have to tell her.

"And I'm supposed to believe that?"

"It's the truth, listen-" Elena hung up before he finished his sentence. First, he completely deceived her and misled her with their whole friendship, and now he was insulting her friendship with Damon by insinuating that he would put her in danger. Her sensitive emotions wouldn't tolerate it so she'd wait until she felt more up to hearing his story. Now was clearly not the time.

She turned around to head back into the bar but ran smack into Damon's hard chest. She certainly hadn't missed that move.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine. Just starving. Do they serve food here?" she asked, electing not to expose her feelings to Damon.

He simply jerked his head towards the door and wrapped an arm securely around her shoulders. Normally she would've shrugged him off, but for the moment she liked the way it felt.

When they were back inside the bar, she and Damon both ordered giant burgers and as soon as hers was sitting in front of her she got to work.

"So let's just say that I'm descended from Katherine. Does that make me part vampire?" she asked as she threw a french fry into her mouth.

Damon shook his head and chewed his own fry. "Vampires can't procreate. But we love to try," he gave her his very best bedroom eyes to go along with his signature smirk and she huffed out a laugh. Damon was absolutely incorrigible. "No, if you were related it would mean Katherine had a child before she was turned."

"Did Stefan think that he could use me to replace her?" she asked bitterly.

"What makes you think _I'm_ not using you to replace her?" he asked smugly before biting into his burger.

"Why would you need to replace her? You've know that she was still alive in the tomb and you knew that you were coming back to get her out. You didn't need to use me as a replacement. No. Anything you felt for me was real. If you like me and want to be friends with me, you like me for exactly who I am. I have no way of knowing what Stefan's real motives were and it really hurts me because he kissed me and he wanted to date me and I don't even know why. I have a baby to think of and he just strolled into my life, not thinking of how it would affect her, just thinking that I could be the new Katherine. It's infuriating, and frankly, it makes me feel used," she ranted angrily.

"Well you're right. I like you for you. I like you for your smoking hot bod and eternal optimism," he smiled sarcastically, nudging her shoulder. Elena tried to keep her face angry and she fought the smile, but eventually it came out. She quickly tried to hide it again but couldn't get her face back under control and it brought a true smile to Damon's lips. It was the first time she'd seen it on him and it made her abandon her effort to hide her own away. "Come on, what? You don't like pickles? What's wrong with you?" he laughed, stealing the untouched pickle spear from her plate. It made her giggle and shake her head.

"Wait, how can you even eat if technically you're supposed to be…" she trailed off into a whisper since the bar was becoming more and more crowded.

"Dead?" he finished for her, with a joking fire in his eyes. "It's not such a bad word. As long as I keep a healthy diet of… blood in my system, my body functions pretty normally." He tossed a fry into his mouth and chomped down on it theatrically causing Elena to smile and shake her head at him. Bree came over to sit another beer in front of him and Elena longed for a time when she could cut loose and drink with her friends.

"Ugh, I'd kill for a beer," she groaned.

"Well you've probably still got my blood in your system so it wouldn't do any damage," he urged her.

She gave him an irritated look. "I'm not drinking while pregnant. At the very least, it's trashy."

"Can't argue with you there," he conceded, tilting his bottle toward her before bringing it to his lips.

* * *

Later that night, Elena watched as Damon out-drank every patron in the bar. He went shot for shot with everyone and while they got belligerent, he was still holding himself nicely. Elena watched him and the group standing at the bar down their third round and this time half of his shot ended up on his shirt instead of in his mouth.

"Do you need a bib? I've got some at home," she joked.

"I'm sorry I can't unhinge my jaw like a snake to consume alcohol," he shot back at her, wiping the liquid from his chin.

"Poor baby," she said, making a pouty face at him. "Come play pool with me to distract me from the fact that I can't get drunk."

"I don't see how me kicking your ass at pool is gonna make you feel any better, but okay," he smirked, leading her to one of the tables.

After a couple rounds, Elena heard her phone ringing from its place on a table nearby. She rushed to grab it. In all the fun, she'd forgotten to call Jenna and she knew she was in for it.

"Hello?" she asked timidly, cringing at the response she'd get.

"Elena?" Jenna replied irritably.

"Hey, Jenna. Hold on, it's loud in here," she said, walking outside the bar to hear better.

"Elena, where are you? Are you okay?" her aunt asked.

"Yeah, I'm god. Everything's fine," she replied, trying to brush it off as if there was nothing for Jenna to worry about, but she knew that it was completely abnormal for her to be out for the second night in a row without telling her aunt where she was. Outside, Elena stumbled a little on a loose board and her phone fell to the floor. "Hello?" she asked, checking to make sure Jenna was still there. Before she got a reply, a hand came around her mouth and a pair of impossibly strong arms were moving her away from the bar while she struggled. She tried to scream for Damon but could barely even get a muffled sound out from under her captor's palm.

The man was clearly a vampire. She realized this as he set her down in an oil plant around the corner from the bar. "I'm not here to hurt you. Here's hoping your friend comes to save you. I do have some words for him," he smiled wickedly.

She had no doubt that Damon had made enemies, but she had no idea what Damon had done to make this vampire hate him so much. Just as soon as she was set down and her captor was out of sight, Damon rounded the corner. It'd barely been five minutes since she'd gone to answer her phone and he was already looking for her.

"Damon, no!" she tried to get his attention, but before he could respond, the other vampire was on him, beating him to the ground with a metal pipe. Once he was down, the other guy was pouring gasoline over his body. "No!" she screamed, running towards them. The vampire turned to her with blood red eyes and exposed fangs. It slowed her down just enough. He continued to empty the gas canister onto Damon.

"Who are you?" Damon asked.

"That's just perfect. You have no idea!" he spat.

"What are you talking about? What did he do?" Elena demanded.

"He killed my girlfriend," the vampire replied bitterly. Elena looked down at Damon who was trying to stand back up. The vampire poured even more gasoline over him as he yelled "What did she do to you, huh? What did she do to you!?"

"Nothing," Damon taunted.

"I don't understand!" Elena yelled. When had Damon killed this vampire's girlfriend? And how did he find Damon in Georgia?

"My girlfriend went to visit Stefan. And Damon killed her; got it?" he gruffed before sending a swift kick to Damon's nose.

The wheels in Elena's head started to turn. "Lexi?" she asked, for clarification. "Lexi was your girlfriend? She told me about you. She said that you were human?"

"I was," he responded sadly. He went to pull a matchbook from his pocket and Elena knew that she had to think fast to save Damon.

"Lexi turned you?" she asked. In the moments that he'd spoken about Lexi, he'd turned his attention entirely on Elena. She had to keep it that way.

"If you wanna be with someone forever, you have to live forever," he said as if it were obvious. Damon struggled to stand up and Lexi's boyfriend sent a flying kick to his skull.

"She loved you!" Elena spoke again, desperate to keep his attention off of Damon. "She said that when it's real you can't walk away."

"Well that's a choice you're not gonna have to make," he clenched his jaw and glared at her.

"Don't!" she begged. She couldn't imagine losing Damon tonight. Not after everything they had talked about and how close they'd gotten. She needed him in her life, and more than that, she _wanted_ him in her life. "Don't. Please don't hurt him!"

He lit the matches and looked down at Damon. "I'm doing you a favor," he insisted.

"Lexi loved you. And she was good. And that means you're good too. Be better than him. Don't do this, I'm begging you! Please!" Tears were shining in her eyes and she was sure she looked like a hot pregnant mess, but she just hoped that it was working.

The vampire pulled Damon off the ground by his leather jacket and threw him thirty feet away, into the side of a bridge before turning back to Elena.

"Thank you," she gasped.

"It wasn't for you," he cried before speeding away.

"Damon!" she yelled, running to his side. "Are you okay?"

"Peachy," he grimaced before his face turned more serious. "Thank you."

Elena helped him stand up and he pulled of his ruined leather jacket. "I think we've officially worn out our welcome," Damon said, leading her back to the Camaro. "You sit tight. I'm gonna go say goodbye to Bree," the edges of his lips curled up in an expression that was less like a smile and more like a face a predator would make before pouncing on its prey. Elena did her best to ignore both that face and the concerned frown he had when he returned to the car a few minutes later.

* * *

They drove through the night and Elena woke up just as the sun was rising.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," Damon smirked at her.

"Sleeping in a car two nights in a row while seven months pregnant has to be some kind of torture," she groaned.

"Oh please, you've had a great time," he rolled his eyes.

"Yes, we had fun, but fun doesn't stop my back from hurting," she conceded. "So why did you bring me with you?" She felt like she had to ask. Sure, he'd found her injured and crying in the middle of the road, but he could've just left her at home.

"Well you're not the worst company in the world, Elena," he teased and now it was her turn to roll her eyes at him. "You should give yourself more credit."

"Seriously," she prompted him.

"I don't know. You were there in the road all damsel-in-distress-like… and I knew it'd piss off Stefan," he smiled a little, keeping his eyes trained on the road. There it was. An honest answer and a smile. Elena loved this side of Damon and it made her smile too. "And you're not the worst company in the world, Elena." He finally turned to look at her and his eyes held sincerity.

"I used to be more fun," she insisted, adjusting herself in her seat.

"You did okay," he assured her.

"I saved your life," she told him smugly, giving him a side-eye.

He turned to her with a smirk and raised his eyebrows. "I know."

"And don't you forget it," she said, and they gave each other small smiles. A few minutes passed before she spoke again. "When we get back, will you drop me off at school? I should be able to make it in time for third period. I have to save up my skip days."

"Sure thing, Teen Mom," he smirked. She smacked him on the shoulder and for her benefit he pretended that it hurt.

"Please don't compare me to those horrible girls. I'm not like them, am I?" she asked.

"Of course not. You're a well-rounded, well-adjusted young woman who just happened to get knocked up. It happens. It doesn't mean anything bad about you as a person. You're pretty okay," he said.

"I'm so glad I have your approval," she teased.

"Not that you need it, but yes, I tolerate you much more than I tolerate most other humans," he deadpanned.

"You make it sound like I'm your pet or something," she giggled.

"Well, pets are animals that you could eat but you choose not to because you like them too much, so…" he trailed off smiling and she hit him again.

* * *

After school, Damon picked her up and took her to the boarding house so that she could finally confront Stefan and figure out exactly what their friendship was to him.

"Hey," she said awkwardly, as she walked into his room.

"Hey," he sounded relieved to see her.

"You could have told me," she insisted.

"I wanted to tell you," he said lamely.

"You said no more lies, only the truth. I can handle the truth, Stefan. As crazy as it is, I can handle the fact that you are a vampire, you have a vampire brother, and that my best friend is a witch. I can accept the fact that the world is a much more mysterious place than I ever thought possible. But _this_? This lie, I can not take. What am I to you? Who am I to you?" she demanded.

"You are not Katherine," he responded immediately. "You are the opposite of everything that she was."

"When did you figure that out? Before you kissed me? Before you weaseled your way into my life? You didn't even consider my daughter once, did you? You didn't think how it would affect her. You just had to know how I was connected to Katherine."

"No, Elena. It's not like that. I knew that you weren't her before I met you," he said quietly.

"What?" she asked. That didn't make any sense.

"The first day of school, when we met, it wasn't for the first time, Elena," he told her gently. Now she was even more confused.

"Then when was it?" she demanded.

"May 23rd, 2009," he responded simply.

"But that was…"

"That was the day your parents' car went off the bridge," he confirmed.

"You were there?" she accused angrily.

"Every couple of years I come back here to see Zach and see my home. And last spring, I was out in the woods by old Wickery Bridge and I heard the accident. All of it. I was fast getting there, but not fast enough. The car was already submerged," he explained and tears were already pooling in her eyes at the memory of the accident. "Your dad, he was still conscious. I was able to get to him, but he wouldn't let me help him until I helped you."

"Oh my God," she sobbed, falling to her knees on the floor. She knew Stefan had no reason to lie and it made everything make more sense. Someone had to have pulled her out. "When I woke up in the hospital nobody could figure out how I got out of the car. They said it was a miracle," she choked out through her tears.

"I went back for them but it was too late. I couldn't… I couldn't save them. When I pulled you out, I looked at your face and you looked like Katherine. I couldn't believe the resemblance. After that, I spent months making sure that you weren't her. I watched you. I learned everything that I could about you. And I saw that you were nothing like Katherine. I wanted to leave town, but Elena, I couldn't. I couldn't leave without knowing you. I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you, I wanted to! But you were so sad…" his voice was quiet and desperate, begging her to believe him.

"Why do I look like her?" she asked.

"Elena, you've been through so much," he said as if trying to talk her out of asking.

"Why do I look like her, Stefan? What are you not telling me?" it was clear now that he had the answer.

"It didn't make any sense to me. You were a Gilbert, she was a Pierce, but the resemblance was too similar. Then I learned the truth. You were adopted, Elena," Stefan said, and she could hear her heart beat in her ears. She walked over to sit on his bed and put her head in her hands while she cried.

"How do you know this?" she asked a few minutes later.

"Your birth certificate from city records. It says Elena Gilbert, Mystic Falls General. But there's no record of your mother ever being admitted. There's no record of her ever being pregnant," he explained.

"What else do you know?" she demanded.

"For me to go any further, I would've had to look into the Pierce family history and I couldn't do that. It's too much of a risk. If someone found out I was asking about Katherine… Listen to me, it doesn't matter. You're still _you_ , Elena. I never wanted to be the one to tell you that you were adopted, but I do know that it doesn't matter. Your father loved you exactly the same as he loved Jeremy and he was willing to die so that I could save you."

* * *

After she'd calmed down, Elena finally went home. She opted to walk to give herself time to clear her head and she was feeling slightly better by the time she walked through her front door. That changed quickly when Jenna immediately jumped on the offense.

"I don't set a lot of rules, Elena. Not with you. I trust you to tell me the truth. Where were you and why did you lie to me about it? I thought that we were closer than that!"

"Now is not the time you wanna talk to me about lies," Elena warned.

"Don't do that. Don't turn this back on me. I didn't do anything!" Jenna defended herself.

"Okay, question: am I adopted?" she asked, tears suddenly welling up in her eyes again. The look of pure shock and terror in Jenna's eyes told her everything she needed to know. "I trust you to tell me the truth too, Jenna. How could you not tell me? I thought we were closer than that," she spat venomously before running up the stairs.

"Elena, I didn't- They asked me not to," she called out after her.

"I don't wanna hear it," she called back before locking herself in her bedroom.

* * *

 **AN: What do you guys think? Personally, I'm super proud of this chapter! I don't particularly love the way the adoption thing cramped my Delena flow, but of course it was necessary. Hopefully you guys can see what I see in Damon, because in my head he's still pretty in-character. I know that Elena's responses are different sometimes but I'm still trying to work through her changes and figure out how being pregnant would change her.**

 **Please review, it brings me great joy!**


	19. 29 weeks, 2 days

Elena's task for the day was to make sure that everyone in her circle was armed to the teeth with vervain, whether they knew it or not. Stefan and Damon had supplied it for her since there was a new vampire in town. She'd slipped it in with the god-awful decaf coffee grounds, given Jeremy a bracelet made from it, and was currently in the process of giving Caroline her very own vampire-repelling locket. Damon had made it clear that she should give something to Caroline and she'd softened at his promise not to use her best friend anymore.

"What's the occasion?" Caroline asked, admiring the silver pendant that was now hanging from her neck. The final bell had rung and two of them were walking outside of the school.

"No occasion. Just a little friend gift," Elena smiled.

"Lesbian friend necklace, because we're freaky like that," Caroline winked.

"Your friendship is important to me," Elena laughed as she rolled her eyes.

"Why are you being so mushy?" the blonde asked suspiciously.

"Because you've been avoiding me. And I wanted to let you know that whatever's going on with you and Matt… It's okay," she told her sincerely. Caroline immediately looked worried and embarrassed.

"I was gonna talk to you about that," she blushed. "I was. But there's just… not much to say. I mean, we've hung out a couple of times, that's it, but… I just feel like he's holding back. Not that that's your fault!" she hurried to clarify, "It's just the way it is, and it's totally understandable. Matt and I have just peaked as friends… This is weird, isn't it? I shouldn't be talking to you about this. There shouldn't be a _this_ to talk about. God, I'm such a terrible friend. This is breaking nearly every girl code imaginable."

"Care, if it's what you and Matt want, it's okay with me. He has to start dating again eventually. And if he's gonna bring someone around our daughter, I'd much rather it be someone that I love and trust. So you're definitely the most qualified. I'm giving you guys my full support," Elena said truthfully. She could see in Caroline's eyes that her blessing meant the world to her.

* * *

"I can't believe you're adopted! I didn't see this coming," Bonnie exclaimed as she and Elena sat at The Grill eating dinner that night.

"And it gets weirder. I looked at my birth certificate and it lists Miranda and Grayson Gilbert as my birth parents. None of it makes any sense!" Elena was becoming increasingly frustrated as to whom her birth parents could be and why her family had hid it from her.

"Which is why you should ask Jenna," Bonnie encouraged her. Elena groaned at the thought. She and her aunt were hardly on speaking terms at the moment. In Elena's eyes, Jenna should've told her when she found out she was pregnant. It was the right thing to do. "First of all. the Elena that I know would always want the real truth. Good or bad."

"And second of all?" Elena prompted.

"You just found out your best friends are a vampire and a witch. So unless your birth parents are aliens, how bad could it be?" she asked and Elena stifled a giggle. Bonnie was certainly helping her mood, but she had errands to attend to.

"Okay, I have to go to the store and pray I find something for this decade dance that doesn't make me look like a small car," she excused herself. As she walked out to Jenna's car, which her aunt had allowed her to borrow out of guilt, her phone began to ring.

"Hello?" she spoke into the mouthpiece.

"Hello, Elena," an unfamiliar voice called back to her through the speaker.

"Hey, who is this?" she asked curiously as she dug in her purse for the car keys.

"You hit me with your car," the man replied sinisterly. Elena froze on the spot. "Is that a new one?" he asked. Elena looked all around, sure that he must be somewhere nearby watching her. She knew she was right when she spotted a man in a black hoodie with a phone held up to his ear just across the street from her. "You got away from me. You won't next time."

She hurriedly got into the car and peeled out of the parking lot, ignoring the screech of tires. She drove straight home where she knew she'd be safe from any vampires who hadn't received an invitation.

* * *

The next morning she went straight to the boarding house, walking in without knocking. If Damon could kidnap her and take her to Georgia with no notice, she could show up in his library with no notice.

"Good morning to you too, Elena," he called from upstairs.

"That's really creepy, Damon," she yelled back at him.

"No need to shout. I can hear just fine," he whispered, suddenly right behind her. It made her jump a little.

They sat down in the library and she explained the run-in with the vampire outside The Grill to him.

"Why me? What does he want with me? And if he's trying to kill me then why call first?" she demanded angrily.

"It's because we're predators, Elena," he smirked. "We hunt, we stalk. It's just as exciting as the kill. We get off on the theatrics of it. This must be one sick son of a bitch, getting his kicks from preying on a pregnant girl."

Elena felt a little uneasy and Damon could tell. "Here, take this," he offered, extending a small gold object out to her. She recognized it almost immediately.

"This is Jeremy's pocket watch. How did you get it?" she asked.

"I took it from Logan Fell. Figured he took it from you," he said, his eyes filled with a mischievous intensity that told her she wouldn't have liked the way he took it from Logan Fell, but she forced herself to ignore it.

"What happened to it?" she asked, noticing that when it was opened the face was different from before.

"It's not a watch. It's a compass that points to vampires," Damon replied, scrunching up his face to show his distaste for the tiny device. Elena watched as the needle spun wildly as she held it in her hand before it finally stopped to point directly to Damon.

"Why did my father have it?" she asked.

"The Gilberts were one of the founding families. In 1864 they were part of the group that rounded up all the vampires to burn them in the church," he answered bitterly. She could tell that he didn't hold the members of that party with very high esteem. "They used this compass to find them."

"Did you know them?" she asked cautiously. She felt odd knowing that Damon lived at the same time as her four or five times great-grandfather.

"Oh yeah. Guy was a serious piece of work. Not as bad as my father, but he was no saint," he grimaced. Damon never talked about his father and she could tell it wasn't a subject he like to talk about, so Elena decided not to press him on it any further. "Anyway, you keep this," he told her after a moment's silence. "It doesn't work when a vampire holds it. Interferes with the signal. That's why I had to borrow Caroline the other day. I made her use it to find Fell."

Elena heaved an obvious outward sigh of relief which caused Damon to chuckle a little. "Thank God that's all. No more compelling her to be a sex toy. I couldn't live with that."

"I never compelled her to sleep with me," he defended nonchalantly. "I've never compelled anyone to sleep with me. I compelled her to let me drink from her and then to forget it and I made her run some errands for me."

Elena was a little shocked that Damon felt the need to correct her. Usually he was more than happy to let everyone believe that he was an irredeemable monster. In fact, he'd been so nice lately that she was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. She didn't want to make too big of a deal about his good side in case he tried to prove her wrong so she opted for a short laugh and suggested that he should hire a personal assistant.

* * *

Elena had gone home to get ready for the decade dance that night and she was still not very happy to be around Jenna.

"So, are you coming to the dance?" she asked, noticing that her aunt was dressed in decidedly fifties attire.

"Alaric asked me to help chaperone," she smiled, her tone a mixture of surprise that Elena was talking to her and the thrill of having a sort-of date.

"Why didn't you tell me, Jenna?" Elena rounded on her angrily. She'd spent a lot of time obsessing over the fact that she was adopted and she had no idea how to feel or what to think. She was totally shell-shocked by it.

Jenna's face turned serious instantly. "Your mom was gonna do it eventually. I never thought I'd have to."

"If my mom was there when I found out I was pregnant, she'd tell me the truth," Elena replied with certainty. She knew that her mom never would have wanted her to make an informed decision about adoption, but also it would have been the perfect time to bring it up. She doubted that her mom would've continued to hide it from her once she found out she'd have a child of her own.

Jenna took a deep breath, preparing to tell the story. "Your dad was about to leave the office one night when this girl showed up. She was sixteen, a runaway, and about to give birth. He delivered her baby and gave her a place to stay, but a few days later she disappeared. And there you were. Your parents were trying so hard to have a baby, it just wasn't happening. All Miranda ever wanted was to be a mom." Elena could hardly believe that this story was about her. She was practically the old cliché story of a baby left in a basket on a stranger's front porch. The whole thing was surreal.

"But why were my parents' names on the birth certificate?" she asked. She felt like she had so many questions but no one to answer them. Her birth parents were gone and her real parents were dead. It brought back the pain of losing them with a vengeance.

"Your dad was a doctor, Elena. He took care of it," Jenna replied. Clearly she hadn't thought much about the logistics of this sketchy adoption. "They didn't wanna lose you so they kept it quiet. Told as few people as possible, but if anyone ever wanted proof, they had documentation."

"What else do you know about her? The girl?" Elena asked, unwilling and unable to call her 'my mother.'

"Just her name. Isobel," Jenna smiled sadly and for the first time Elena felt the shock that this was all real. She had a birth mother out there somewhere and her name was Isobel. She simultaneously felt like she had to find her and that she had no desire to ever find her.

* * *

Elena had distracted herself from thoughts of her birth parents by getting ready for the dance. She and Stefan were going as friends and she'd asked him for his first-hand knowledge on what a pregnant woman would have worn in the fifties and he'd helped her put together an ensemble. Her blouse was loose fitting like a cape, and despite being seven months pregnant, she didn't look it at all. The shirt wasn't flattering on her figure, but it was cute and a red and white floral and it made her feel less like a whale. Underneath, she wore a pencil skirt that reached her knees, and she'd teased her straight, chestnut hair into a bump that she'd pinned back with a red headband.

When she was all finished with her hair, she heard an odd whirring noise and looked around for her family. "Jenna? Jeremy?" she called, unsure if either were home, but concerned by the noise. She heard another short whir and a click and she realized with horror that the compass was spinning from its place on her bed. She rushed to pick it up and it spun again, pointing straight to Graysen's room.

She grabbed for her phone and called Stefan as she ran down the stairs. It took entirely too long for an answer, and when she finally got one, it was Damon calling smugly into the receiver "Stefan's phone, How may I help you?"

"Where is he?" she demanded quickly and out of breath.

"He's on his way to you. Forgot his phone," Damon answered and she let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Thank God. This compass was spinning. Stefan must be here," she explained. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he replied, a hint of a smile to his voice, before hanging up.

Suddenly a hand was on her shoulder, spinning her around quickly and there were fangs coming at her neck. She let out a bloodcurdling scream.

"ELENA," she heard her name just before the vampire was flung across the room. He sped out of the house instantly, and Stefan rushed to her side and gathered her in his arms.

"You okay? You're okay," he soothed her gently. She stared at the front door as she clutched Stefan's shoulders with all her strength. How had it gotten in?

* * *

"How did it get in?" Damon asked, reflecting her earlier internal questions. After she'd calmed down Stefan helped her think rationally and pinpoint the only new person she'd seen in her home lately.

"He was invited in," she shivered.

"He posed as a pizza delivery guy last night," Stefan explained.

"Well he gets points for that. Did he say what he wanted?" Damon asked.

"No. He was too busy trying to kill me," she snapped. Elena was more on edge than she'd ever been in her life, and that was saying something.

"You really have no idea who this is?" Stefan asked his brother incredulously.

"No!" Damon insisted, as if it were stupid of him to even ask. Stefan gave him a look that said 'yeah, right,' and Damon spoke again. "Don't look at me like that. I told you we had company."

"You think there's more than one?" Elena asked, a slight quiver to her voice.

"We don't know," Damon answered truthfully with a raise of his brow.

"Damon, he was _invited_ in," Stefan clarified.

Damon nodded solemnly, understanding exactly what it meant. "Then we go get him tonight. You up for it?" he asked, turning his attention toward Elena.

"What do I have to do?" she asked, determined to keep her family safe.

"Just let Stefan take you to the dance. We'll see who shows up," he answered.

"It's a bad idea," Stefan shook his head.

"Until we get him this house isn't safe," Damon stared him down and Elena could feel the power struggle between them coming on, "or anyone who lives in it. It's worth a shot," he finished, turning back to Elena in an attempt to win her support. She didn't like the idea of this monster being in her school, or the idea of playing bait, but she knew without a doubt that they would keep her and her baby safe. They had never failed to do so before and she couldn't afford to stop trusting them now.

"I'll do it. I'll be with the two of you. I'll be safe."

* * *

The dance was beautiful, which was hardly a surprise considering Caroline had been in charge of the decorating committee. However, the streamers and the big screen showing clips of old black-and-white films did very little to ease Elena's mind. Not even being flanked on either side by her vampire body guards could slow her heart rate.

Damon left her side to patrol the room and Stefan gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "We won't let anything happen to you. I promise," he said, taking a few steps to get her a bottle of water from the punch table. In the seconds that he was gone, Caroline and Bonnie approached.

"Having fun?" Elena asked them.

"No, _but, this_ ," Caroline gestured to her hair and outfit, "took about two hours so I'm at least staying half of that." The three girls let out a round of giggles.

"What's Damon doing here?" Bonnie demanded angrily, spotting the dark-haired vampire standing with Stefan over Elena's shoulder.

"He… wanted to come. I promise he'll behave," she defended.

"So what, is this like a threesome now? You and the Salvatore brothers?" Caroline quipped snottily.

"No. We're just friends," she insisted.

"Which one are you _just friends_ with?" Caroline asked.

"Both of them. There's nothing going on with me and them," she claimed, but Caroline and Bonnie both looked doubtful.

Tired of the third degree, Elena stepped back toward Stefan, who was now alone. He held out her long-forgotten bottle of water and she drank from it quickly. The two of them sat and talked for a few moments and tried to keep an eye out for the hooded mystery vampire. After a few minutes, Elena glanced up to see Damon talking to Bonnie and Caroline. That couldn't be good. She felt the need to swoop in and mediate, but the girls were walking away by the time she reached Damon.

"Where did they go?" she asked.

"I dunno," Damon replied innocently. Elena smiled and rolled her eyes.

"What did you say to them?" Stefan asked disbelievingly.

"I was _perfectly_ polite," Damon insisted. "Elena, would _you_ like to dance?"

"Not happening," she shot back quickly.

"Oh, come on, why not?" he asked with a roll of his eyes.

"I'm three times your size and have the grace of a newborn giraffe. That does not a dancer make," she answered tiredly.

"You're beautiful," he waggled his eyebrows at her and she hoped that the loud music would keep them from hearing the hitch in her breath. If they heard it, they ignored it, and for that she was grateful.

"I really should sit this one out," she tried again, though she knew her resolve was weakening.

"I'm afraid I'm not taking no for an answer," he grinned, grabbing her hand and spinning her into him expertly. She didn't miss the obnoxious smirk he shot at Stefan as he led her onto the dance floor.

Damon danced like a dream. He swayed her slowly but artfully to the music and she was sure that if she wasn't feeling about 15 months pregnant she would absolutely love it. She let herself relax into the movements for just one song before she turned her attention back to the situation at hand.

"Shouldn't you be able to sense each other or something?" she asked him curiously.

"I'm not a dolphin, Elena. I can't just click my tongue and find a vampire," he said monotonously, surveying the room. He'd been doing it the entire time they danced and he was a good multi-tasker. His sarcastic comment led her to believe he was getting anxious that they hadn't found the vampire yet. "Do you see him anywhere?"

"Not unless he has a pompadour," she sighed.

"These kids don't even know how to do it right. Not that very many people back then did either," he said with a blank expression and a roll of his eyes.

"And I'm sure you looked great back then. Are there pictures?" she asked sassily.

"I always look good, Elena," he smirked, and she didn't doubt it.

"What was it like, the fifties? Because in my mind I have this picture somewhere in between American Bandstand, Grease. It's all varsity sweaters and milkshakes," she enthused.

"I'm not really one for milkshakes, but the girls in varsity sweaters were pretty tasty," he answered smugly as he licked his lips. Elena smacked his leather covered shoulder and sent him a pointed glare.

"There were poodle skirts," she said firmly, in a tone that indicated he should agree with her.

"There certainly were," he agreed instantly as he gave her a gentle spin in time with the music.

"You are so teaching me how to do the hand jive," she giggled.

"Absolutely. But not in public. The hand jive is so not cool anymore," he replied and his acquiescence brought a huge smile to her face.

"Alright, I need to sit down for a minute and get some water," she sighed, pulling him off the dance floor. She took a seat next to Stefan, who was absolutely refusing to dance, while Damon went to grab her another water.

"Maybe he's not gonna show," she sighed.

"I'm sorry about all this," Stefan huffed broodily.

"No, I'm having a great time and I decided to come here. So I don't wanna hear you apologizing," she replied.

"Glad we could keep you entertained," Damon said smugly, returning with her water, "But I have to go do some actual chaperoning. Someone has to be the responsible adult around here." Elena huffed out a laugh at that.

About fifteen minutes later, Stefan and Elena were still sitting together talking when her eyes glanced around the room and she spotted a hooded figure. "Stefan, back corner," she whispered urgently.

Suddenly Stefan turned on high alert. "Get Damon." He ran across the dance floor and after the hooded man while Elena went to look for Damon. Before she could find him, her phone began to ring and she picked up quickly.

"Hello Elena," the vampire crooned at her. "Here's what you're going to do: there's an exit door behind you, you have five seconds."

"No," she insisted.

"Or your brother dies," the vampire finished. Elena whipped her head around to the punch table and saw that Jeremy was there with the familiar-looking vampire who'd delivered their pizza the night before. "I can snap his neck so fast I bet there's not even a witness," he told her smugly through the phone. "Now start walking."

"Don't you dare touch him," she warned.

"Keep walking. Through the door," he urged her, following after. She took off into a sprint and tried to get through the large double doors at the end of the hall but they were chained shut. Her heart beat rapidly and she headed for the cafeteria as he stalked her slowly. She tried to exit the cafeteria at the other end but those doors had been locked too. Suddenly, the vampires hand was at her neck and she tried to stop the tears that threatened to spring to her eyes.

He pulled her by her hair and tossed her onto the floor. She braced herself with her hands so that her stomach would be protected. There were a couple of pencils on the floor and she grabbed for them, hoping that even if they wouldn't kill him that the wood would at least slow him down.

He slammed her back against the wall and bared his fangs, but as he reached for her neck she thrust the pencils forcefully into his gut, and then his hand, and then his chest. It slowed him down enough that she was able to push him onto the floor. Once he was down, she spotted the mop behind her and she broke it over her knee to use as a real makeshift stake. Underneath her fear was a layer of pride that she was holding her own. She shoved the splintered end of the mop towards his chest, but he grabbed her wrist and stopped the motion. He pulled the weapon away from her and gave a smug grin as he threw it across the room. He lunged for her neck again and she screamed. Just before his fangs pierced her skin, Stefan was there and was throwing him across the room.

The vampire made to escape, but Damon stood behind him holding a thick piece of wood.. "Hey, dickhead," he called. "No one wants to kill you. We just wanna talk." The vampire gave a challenging smile and ran towards Elena again. In a swift and graceful motion, Damon threw the stake across the room and Stefan caught it, pushing it easily into the charging vampire's stomach instead of his heart. Elena watched in shock to see Stefan, the usually very anti-violence brother clearly torturing the unknown vampire.

"Now do you feel like talking?" Stefan asked.

"Screw you," he replied weakly before Stefan twisted the stake in further. Elena couldn't help but cringe at the squishing sound his blood and organs made as the wood penetrated him further.

"Wrong answer," Stefan growled menacingly. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because it's fun," he smiled smugly, but his attitude changed quickly when Stefan angled the stake upwards toward his heart.

"What do you want with Elena?" Stefan asked. The vampire looked up at her and stared into her eyes.

"She looks like Katherine," he smiled creepily. Elena, Damon, and Stefan all exchanged worried looks before Damon spoke up.

"You knew Katherine?"

"Oh, you thought you were the only ones. You don't even remember me," he huffed out with a laugh.

"Tell me how to get in the tomb. Hmm?" Damon asked, leaning to his level.

"No," he replied simply. Stefan twisted the stake again, causing him to groan out in pain. "The grimoire," he answered finally.

"Where is it?" Damon demanded. He hesitated for a moment which prompted Stefan to twist the stake again. Elena couldn't bear to watch anymore so she turned away.

"Check the journal! The journal! Jonathan's journal!" he screamed through his agony. "Jonathan Gilbert's." Elena was shocked to hear her ancestor's name in relation to a way to open the tomb that held Katherine.

"Who else is working with you?" Stefan asked, but the vampire wouldn't answer.

"Who else is there?" Damon barked.

"You're gonna have to kill me," the vampire panted, causing Damon to roll his eyes. Stefan turned to look at him and Damon gave a quick nod before Stefan pulled the stake from his stomach. Damon's grin was smug as Stefan quickly reinserted the long, sharp piece of wood directly into the vampire's heart.

Elena gasped as she watched him collapse to the floor and turn the sickly, veiny dark gray that signified a dead vampire.

She began to sputter. "Wha-wai- how are you going to find the others now?" she demanded.

Damon gave her a pointed look, but his voice was gentle. "He had to die."

"But-" she tried to argue but he nodded his head at her, his eyes softening.

"Elena, he's been invited in," Stefan reminded her. Oh, right. That was why. He could've killed her and Jeremy and Jenna in their sleep tonight.

She heard footsteps in the hall outside the cafeteria and all three of their heads whipped up. "Go, I got this," Stefan nodded to Damon who left without another word. Stefan pulled her in for a hug but she couldn't take her eyes off of the sickly gray body at her feet. "Come on, why don't you go get Jeremy and I'll take you both home," he mumbled into her hair.

* * *

"You okay?" Stefan called out to her from his spot in the kitchen. Elena was lounging on the couch, happy to be back in her yoga pants and one of her dad's old t-shirts.

"Is it weird if I say yes?" she asked.

"Is it true?"

I should feel more upset or scared or something, but I feel kind of exhilarated," she explained. Stefan smiled, walking towards her with a cup of hot chocolate.

"It's the adrenaline. You'll crash soon enough," he told her.

"Yeah, I guess. I fought back tonight. It felt good," she told him proudly. Truth be told, she was immensely proud that she'd held her own against the vampire and protected herself until her boys could swoop in and really save the day. She felt like they could do anything.

"Well I wish you didn't have to fight at all," he replied, handing her the mug of steaming liquid.

"Still…" she sighed, sniffing the delicious chocolate while absent-mindedly rubbing her free hand over her belly.

The two of them talked for another hour or so before Stefan went back home. She felt like there was something off, something he wanted to tell her but wouldn't. She asked him once what was bothering him and he started to tell her but seemingly decided against it and she didn't push him any further.

* * *

 **AN: This is where Stefan tells her that he told Damon he'd help him open the tomb, but was lying about it. Instead, I'm having him not tell her and I might make it bite Stefan in the ass later. Who knows.**

 **Also, at first I decided to combine the next two episodes into one chapter, but I put in more detail than I originally planned so I am going to give Children of the Damned its own chapter although it will be a shorter one. I've slowed down on writing this so updates are only going to be once maybe twice a week from now on so that I can accomodate my school and work schedule.**


	20. 30 weeks

**Alright, this chapter is embarrassingly short and is much later than I've been updating, but I did start school this week and I have a job. This is the last chapter I have stock piled so I'm about to try to write some more while I have time. Also, I've decided I'll probably do a short hiatus between seasons one and two to give myself time to pile up a few more chapters, so you can expect probably a one or two month break in between seasons/ I'm sorry, I just figured it'd be the best way to do things so that I don't just burn out and stop writing. However, I want to put seasons one and two together in this one fic so it won't be listed as complete (I just don't think that having Damon kissing Katherine on a porch is an appropriate ending for a story.)**

 **Thanks so much for your reviews! I appreciate you all SO much!**

* * *

Elena woke up Saturday morning to the shrill ringing of her cell phone rather than the pop station music of her alarm clock. She checked the time- 8 AM- and then checked the name of the caller- Damon Salvatore.

"Hello?" she answered, her voice still husky with sleep.

"Rise and shine, Sleepy Head," Damon sang.

"Damon, I am exhausted and almost twelve years pregnant. Why do you have to wake me up at eight on a Saturday?" she grumbled back at him.

"Because I have a proposition for you," he replied, his voice sounding no less cheery; not because he _was_ cheery, but because he knew it would piss her off.

"What do you want?" she huffed.

"Remember the other day when you said you would _literally_ do anything for a home cooked meal? Well, I need a favor in the form of your ancestor Jonathan Gilbert's journal and in exchange for that I'll come over and make dinner for you and your family tonight. Anything you want."

Elena thought it over for a while, "Why do you need the journal?" she asked.

"Because it might help me find a way to get Katherine out of that tomb," he answered honestly. The tone of his voice told her how serious this was to him.

"And the other twenty-six vampires?" she asked nervously.

"I'm only getting Katherine out, Elena. I promise. Just… please?" she could hear the twinge of sadness in his voice and it struck a chord with her.

"I'll look for it today," she sighed.

"Thank you," his voice was cheery again before he disconnected the call.

A couple of hours later when Elena was dressed and ready for the day, she pulled a few old boxes down from the attic and began to search through them. She sifted through photo albums and tiny antiques with unknown purposes, but she couldn't find the journal.

"What are you doing?" Jeremy asked, strolling into the kitchen.

"Hey! Just going through some stuff. Feeling sentimental. Dad had this old family journal from years ago. I thought I'd dig it up," she lied. It was an unimportant lie, so she didn't feel entirely wrong for it. What did it matter to Jeremy if there was a purpose for her snooping?

"Jonathan Gilbert's journal?" he asked nonchalantly, jumping to sit on the counter. Elena was surprised to say the least.

"Yeah, what do you know about it?" she asked. She hadn't thought that Jeremy held any stock in their family history.

"I just did a history report on it," he explained, sounding rather proud of himself.

"Oh! So where's it now?" she asked.

"I gave it to Mr. Saltzman. He wanted to see it," he told her.

"Oh, okay. I'll just get it from him when he's finished with it, then," she laughed nervously before pulling out her phone to text Damon.

 _Jeremy gave it to my history teacher. Given your track record with them, I'll go get it back from him myself._

Five minutes later, her back pocket buzzed with Damon's reply.

 _No, I'll send Stefan for it. You sit tight. I'll be there at 6._

* * *

As promised, Elena found Damon Salvatore on her front porch at 6 PM on the dot. He held paper bags filled with groceries in his hands and Elena couldn't hold back a smile at the thought of scary vampire Damon in the grocery store deciding between tomatoes. She tried to take one of the bags out of his hands but he shooed her away, carrying them gracefully into the kitchen where he placed them on the island. Jenna sat on a nearby countertop sipping from a glass of wine and unabashedly admiring their house guest. Damon gave Elena a small smirk at the attention and she rolled her eyes at him.

The two of them unloaded the groceries and Damon began to chop vegetables while they made small talk with Jenna. Damon made flirty eyes at her, which made Elena irritated.

"Is Stefan coming?" she asked him after a while.

"He'll be here later. After dinner," he answered shortly. Elena briefly wondered what Stefan was doing to Alaric, but decided that whatever it was had to be much better than anything Damon would've done.

"So Damon, tell us a little about yourself," Jenna prompted while trying her best not to flirt with him. Elena sincerely appreciated the effort.

"I was born here but I've moved around a lot over the years grew up mostly in New York and Atlanta. And there were a few good years in Barcelona," he smirked.

"Barcelona, wow. And your parents?" Jenna asked.

"Passed away. My mom died when I was about sixteen. Dad was more recent. That's the reason I'm back in Mystic Falls keeping an eye out for Stefan," he answered nonchalantly as he sliced the tomatoes. Elena listened intently, admiring the way he avoided lying but still managed to not give away anything condemning.

"I'm so sorry," Jenna told him honestly. "How old are you now?" Elena gave him a pointed look.

"How old do I look?" he asked jokingly.

"Hmmm… twenty-five-ish?" she suggested.

"Twenty-four. You were close," he smirked flirtatiously.

Elena sighed with relief, happy he hadn't said something stupid, like the truth. Damon was probably about 170 years old, but Jenna didn't need to know that.

While Damon cooked, Elena offered to set the table. As she took a handful of plates to the dining table, Damon stepped in front of her, accidentally-on-purpose bumping into her. He let out an "oof."

"Stop it," she smiled, rolling her eyes.

"Stop what?" he asked playfully, walking to the stove to stir the sauce.

"You know what. That move was deliberate," she chided him.

"I was deliberately trying to get to the sink," he defended lamely. Elena turned to look at him and shook her head. "Besides, you liked it."

She huffed out a laugh and rolled her eyes at him again. "You wish," she told him, turning away to set the table. She felt a breeze behind her and knew he'd used his vampire speed to catch up with her. "What?" she asked, turning to face him.

Damon looked deeply into her eyes. "Tell me you liked it," he coaxed as he stared her down. Elena was slightly irritated that he was playing around and trying to compel her.

"I'm wearing vervain. It's not gonna work," she scolded him.

"I wasn't compelling you," he scrunched up his eyebrows. "I just want you to admit that you think I'm sexy."

"Dream on, Damon," she scoffed, walking away. Sure, he _was_ sexy, but she wouldn't say it out loud. It's not like his ego needed the boost.

"Do you think I can trust Stefan with this?" He asked, suddenly changing the topic.

"I don't see why not," she replied, scrunching her eyebrows at his question.

"You know, there was a time I trusted him more than anyone," he laughed. Not a real laugh, more like an ironic puff of breath.

"Trust breeds trust. You have to give it to get it," she replied.

"Are you lecturing me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Do you need to be lectured?" she asked, putting a hand to one of her widened hips.

"I just want her back. I'm sure you can understand that," he told her with pouty puppy dog eyes.

"I can understand that you would do anything for her, yes. You go too far most of the time, but I can see that your intentions are just to save the woman you love. You're a little selfish and impulsive, but I know that you have a heart and I think that deep down it's a good one. So, while I don't understand some of the things you do, I do understand _why_ you do them," she explained truthfully.

* * *

After the rather successful family dinner, Damon and Jeremy played video games together in the den while Elena and Jenna chatted in the kitchen.

"He is _ridiculously_ hot," Jenna whispered, but Elena knew that there was no way Damon's vampire hearing would miss a compliment on his good looks.

"Shh! He's an ass," she muttered back, more for Damon's benefit than Jenna's. She could practically see his eyes rolling even though he was facing away from them. She definitely saw him shake his head.

"What are you doing with all this stuff?" Jenna asked, looking down at the boxes of old family stuff that Elena still hadn't returned to the attic.

"I thought there might be something about my birth parents," she sighed. Of course, there hadn't been. That was her luck.

"Have you told Jeremy?" Jenna asked, a sad smile on her lips.

"I will. When the time's right," she replied, though she wasn't sure there would ever be a 'right time' to tell her brother that he wasn't biologically her brother. The doorbell rang, pulling her out of her thoughts. "That's Stefan." She and Damon both walked to the front door, but she arrived a step ahead of him and swung it open.

"Well?" Damon asked when his brother made no move to speak first. Stefan motioned for the two of them to come outside.

"When I got there it was already gone. Somebody else must've taken it," he explained of the Gilbert journal.

"Who took it?" Damon demanded, stalking his way to the porch swing.

"I dunno," Stefan answered.

"You know what, it was that teacher. There's something really off about him," Damon said.

"No, he doesn't know anything. Somebody got to it right before me," Stefan argued, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Who else knew it was there?" Damon asked forcefully, his eyes on fire.

Stefan looked through one of the front windows at Jeremy and Damon followed his gaze.

He moved to walk back inside and Elena immediately spoke up. "No. Damon, leave him out of it."

"Why? What's the big deal?" He asked as if he were surprised that she'd stop him from approaching her little brother.

"Damon," she scolded him, but he ignored her as he walked to the den.

"So," he started, perching on the edge of the couch Jeremy occupied, "Heard you found a really cool journal from back in the day. Who else did you show it to?"

"Huh?" he asked, not bothering to look up from the TV.

"Don't ask questions, just spill," Damon demanded, his voice sickly sweet.

"You're kidding me right?" Jeremy laughed.

"Jer, did you tell anyone other than Mr. Saltzman about Jonathan Gilbert's journal?" Elena prompted, hoping that if he'd just answer then maybe Damon would leave him alone.

"Why is everybody so obsessed with that thing?" he asked curiously.

"Who else did you tell?" she asked more forcefully.

"Just that girl, Anna," he shrugged innocently.

"The hot, weird one," Damon confirmed with him.

"Yeah," Jeremy nodded.

"Wait, who's Anna?" Stefan asked.

"That's what I wanna find out," Damon said in a tone that suggested Stefan was an idiot. Elena didn't much approve of that tone. "How do you know her?" He asked, turning back to Jeremy.

Elena heard her cell phone ringing from the other room and left the good cop and bad cop to interrogate her brother while she checked how Bonnie's date was going. She'd been waiting for this phone call all night.

"Okay, I'm alone. Give me all the deets, Bonnie. I'm dying," she smiled, walking up to her bedroom.

"It's going great. He's a perfect gentleman," her best friend sighed wistfully.

"Gentleman, huh?" Elena prompted with a laugh.

"I know! Boring, huh? I just wanna grab him and lay one on him," she replied.

"So why don't you?" she asked with a laugh.

"Coz I'm a chicken," she grumbled as if it were obvious. It made Elena erupt into a laugh.

"You're a powerful witch goddess. Come on, seize the day, Broom Hilda," she replied. Bonnie began to giggle.

"Okay, I'm gonna text you later with more details," she promised.

"You better," Elena smiled, fiddling with her vervain necklace as she hung up the phone.

Once she was off the phone, she went downstairs to find that she and Jenna were the only ones home.

"Where did they go?" Elena asked.

"To The Grill. They said they were meeting up with one of Jeremy's friends," Jenna replied.

Elena huffed. She was irritated that they'd gone on without her, leaving her at home, barefoot and pregnant. But at the same time she understood that they'd promised to protect her and dragging her into tracking down a vampire wasn't exactly in her best interest.

* * *

About an hour and a half later, Elena was soaking in the bath tub when her phone rang, the Caller ID showing Stefan Salvatore.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Elena! Are you okay?" Stefan asked hurriedly.

"I'm fine, Stefan. What's wrong?" she asked.

"Damon said he'd locked you up in our basement. He said he'd done it because he knew I'd betray him. Did he hurt you?" he panted worriedly into the phone.

"What? Damon never locked me up. I've been home all night," she answered, truly confused. "What happened?"

"Elena, I couldn't let him open the tomb. I couldn't let all of those vampires get out. I stole a copy of the journal from Mr. Saltzman and came to get the grimoire myself, but Damon caught me. He told me that he'd locked you up in our basement and that he was going to hurt you if I didn't give it to him," he explained.

"Damon wouldn't hurt me. He promised he would only let Katherine out. Why couldn't you just let him get her out?" she asked exasperatedly. Now Damon was sure to lash out and do something destructive. She'd been waiting for the other shoe to drop and Stefan had practically thrown it onto the floor. He'd gotten in Damon's way and she was sure he'd be paying for it.

"Elena, I couldn't. People are going to die if these vampires get out! Innocent people!" he tried to reason with her.

"People are going to die because this is going to send Damon flying off the handle! Did you at least give him what he wanted?" she asked, removing herself from the bath tub which was nowhere near as relaxing anymore. She quickly dried off and got dressed in her maternity yoga pants and a t-shirt.

"Yes. I had to give it to him in exchange for knowing that you'd be alright," he explained.

"Well I'm fine. Like I said, Damon would never-" her words were cut off by a firm hand wrapping around her mouth. She tried to scream but not even a muffled noise escaped her lips. Her cell phone clattered onto the bathroom tile and she prayed that that would be enough to signify to Stefan that she was in trouble. The last thing Elena registered before everything went black was falling out of her bedroom window.

* * *

 **AN: Ta-da! What do you think? Let me know! I'm about to write the next chapter right now.**

 **On a side note (adding this as an after-thought) I imagine that when she grows up, Graysen will look exactly like Lauren Bushnell from this season of The Bachelor. I feel like she's got Nina's nose and mouth and Zach's eyes and chin, and then with the blonde hair but darker roots,I just feel like that's what their kid could turn out like.**

 **Also, I feel like if Elena and Damon had a daughter she'd look a lot like Sabrina Carpenter from Disney Channel (Girl Meets World) because I feel like she kinda looks like a little bitty feminine Ian.**


	21. Chapter 21 Author's Note

Author's Note:

Sorry, this isn't another chapter, I just felt the need to post a quick update. I have not abandoned this story entirely. I have a life. I'm in college and I have a job. I know that this is a long stretch with no update and it's a big change from when I updated multiple times a week, but as the author it is my right to update and publish whenever I get free time. This story is by no means a priority for me. It's something I do for fun when I get the chance.

To the guest reviewer who asked that someone else take over this story from me and write it as their own because I haven't updated quickly enough for them, please don't. This story was MY idea. It is my right to update whenever I want and just because it's been a couple of months it doesn't give anyone else the right to take this idea from me.

Basically, whenever I get to where I'm not in the middle of finals and I want to write more about Delena, I will. Unfortunately, there will be a bit of a wait. Thank you all for your patience.


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